The Black Eyes of AI
by Shakuhachi Jade
Summary: How much pain can the human body withstand before it simply refuses to take anymore? When does it realize that the cost of living is more than the relief of death? Rated for major angst, blood, and future torture. OddxSissy, UlrichxYumi, Jeremiex? HIATUS!
1. Intro

**The Black Eyes of AI**

"NOOOOOO!"

Yumi screamed until she thought her vocal chords were going to rip right out of her throat. Her eyes were on fire with the hot tears spilling down her face. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening. They always won against Xana. Always!

The human-like creature with large bat wings that glistened faintly with blood grinned maniacally as it held Ulrich by the collar of his shirt, another thing stained with crimson. His eyes didn't open as Yumi hoped, and he didn't struggle, or even twitch. He was unconscious and quite helpless, for Yumi could do nothing but lay there. Lay, weak and unable, watching Ulrich die slowly. She hated herself for being weak. She wanted to pull a gun out of her pocket like the heroes in crime flicks and blast the demon's brains on the wall. She knew very well there wasn't a fire arm anywhere on her person.

With a sadistic, blood-curdling laugh, the creature slung Ulrich into Jeremie. The blond boy barely had time to blink before he was on the floor with the breath knocked out of him. Again. Yumi thought she might've screamed again-- if she ever stopped-- but the screech of that...that _thing_ drowned out any other noise. Her pained cry was lost in the static.

Odd, who'd been struggling with a giant, black cobra just moments before, finally stood up, tossing a bloody broken chairleg aside. The snake lay motionless behind him. Yumi gasped. She was astounded that he was even alive. He looked ashen, and livid-- furious to the point of madness. It was too much. It was all just too much to handle at one time.

Without hesitation, Odd rushed foward. The creature gave a wry smirk and merely moved to one side, sending Odd flailing and stumbling several more feet. He recovered quickly, standing up straight, looking tall even though he was short. Like a hero would. There were no heroes in real life. Their battle was a futile effort. In moments, Odd was screaming in pain as the vampire used its black talons to pierce into his skull, sending dark blood lines down the sides of his face. In moments-- everything was happening in mere seconds-- Odd would die. If nothing happened, he would die, like Ulrich and Jeremie. Yumi had no hope that they were still alive. Her shoulders were drooping and her hands shaking uncontrolably. Odd... Jeremie...

Ulrich.

Her heart was ripping from the seams that held it together. So fragile... She wanted to die. Why would the creature not touch her? It had stopped the massacre on the boys long enough to kick her out of the way, but after that, it had ignored her. Why? That was a question for everything that had gone terribly, horribly wrong tonight. Her Ulrich... Oh, the pain was consuming her entirely. She could barely see Odd's attempts to get free finally cease. The creature tossed its head laughing and threw Odd with the rest of the boys. This time Yumi couldn't scream. All she could do was whisper to herself, "This isn't happening... It can't. No. I have to... It can't be... It... It..." She watched as a gateway formed, a gateway into the virtual world known as Lyoko. She could recognize that, no matter how distressed she was. "No..." Slinging all three boys over her shoulder, the creature gave one last laugh that echoed in the silent room, then disappeared into the gateway. It closed instantly behind her. That was when Yumi heard the silence. The warm, inviting tranquility of the room where the recently-destroyed supercomputer was hidden. The last thing she heard in the placid air was a quiet gasp, and then it all turned black.

_**;A few hours earlier;**_

"So, you really think she'll talk to me? Actually, colloquially, and maybe even nicely?" Odd asked, quietly chatting with Ulrich in their room. Yumi was pretending to look up information on very advanced computers on her laptop, so the two boys had no idea she was actually in there just to be around them.

"Odd, I think you have lost your mind. How did you come to like her? We _hate_ her!"

Odd hissed at the word Ulrich had put emphasis on. "_We_ do not. You might, but I don't. Think about it; she's arrogant, flamboyant, beautiful, sarcastic, _and_ she picks on people for the fun of it. In a way, she's like my twin! I don't know how I didn't see that until now..."

"Well, I do. You didn't see it because you weren't blinded by hormones. Yeah, sure, she's pretty and all, but listen to yourself! She picks on people because she's evil! You do it because it's funny."

"How do you know she's being mean? Did you ever stop and think about what she's feeling? Once?"

"Odd--"

"No. You won't change my mind about liking her, Ulrich."

Yumi sighed rather loudly. They'd been at it like that for over an hour, going around in circles over Odd's latest love interest. Amazingly, that lucky girl just so happened to be her rival, the whore who, even now, thought she could steal Ulrich away with her sensuous movements and doll-baby face, that vixen of a girl named Sissy. How Odd came to like her was as puzzling as why caterpillars turned into butterflies, or why a duck's quack doesn't echo. To her, it was one of those things that were the way they were because... they just were. There was no reason for unnatural phenominon. Ulrich, on the other hand, seemed to think like a scientist, like there was a perfectly good reason why Odd had fallen so madly in love with their enemy.

Just as Ulrich opened his mouth to start their argument all over again, Jeremie burst into the room. "We've got trouble guys. I can't find Aelita anywhere, but I just got a message on my computer saying that Xana is loose-- here, actually-- and death shall come quickly to us all." The bespecled boy said all of this in a casual tone, like he was chatting over a misplaced report or a school event coming up. Jeremie was like that. He only panicked when he was in front of the computer screen at the factory, and then even only a little. He knew how to keep his wits in a battle.

"Are you sure it's really him?" Yumi asked. It could be a false threat. This wouldn't be the first one.

"Maybe," Jeremie replied, "but being safe _is_ better than being sorry. I say we check it out, even so. I got a bad feeling when I read it. You guys aren't doing anything important, are you?"

Odd's mouth dropped open. "Heck yeah, I'm doing something important! Do you know how long it took me to get Sissy to agree to see me tonight, _alone_? You guys go on. I'll catch up later."

"No," Yumi and Ulrich said at the same time. After a brief glance at one another, Yumi continued by saying, "Odd, we need you there. 'Death shall come quickly to you all.' What if this isn't just another invalid e-mail?"

"No," Odd shook his head defiantly, glaring at every person in the room. "You can't convince me to give up this night. I won't!"

"Odd," Jeremie said, "Please, seriously. For once, don't show your stubborness. Likely, it'll just be another bug set to throw us off guard for a while. You can be back before 9:00."

Odd sighed, still glaring though. "Fine. I'll go, but I won't like it. I swear, if you keep me over twenty minutes, I'll..."

"Okay then," Ulrich said, attempting to brighten the mood, "let's get going before Jim decides to show up. You know he always bothers us at the worst of times." Yumi and the rest nodded in agreement.

Out in the hallway, Ulrich caught Yumi's arm as Jeremie and Odd walked ahead. Yumi looked at him curiously. Ulrich loved romantic things, and secret kisses in dark corners were his favorite. He always somehow managed to make her feel...giddy. "Yumi, I think you know by now that I love you." Those words were a warm blanket over Yumi's heart. "A lot," he added after a second of thought. "I don't want anything to happen to us in Lyoko, say, if one of us... doesn't come back." He had to force those words out.

"You know we will. We always do." She smiled encouragingly. The firm stare Ulrich gave her was anything but warm or romantic.

"You should never say always, Yumi. Nothing lasts forever."

He leaned up a little and kissed her slowly, as if to reinforce his point. Yumi didn't want to think about not coming back from Lyoko, or worse, Ulrich not coming back. That was something that just didn't happen. It couldn't! Impossible. She pressed against him harder, telling him in words unspoken that he was wrong, that he would never be away from her, and that nothing could separate them.

"We better get going," she mumbled after a moment. Jeremie and Odd were both out of sight and likely waiting on them.

Ulrich nodded sadly. She couldn't understand why he was acting like this all of a sudden. He looked depressed. Or maybe just a little down. She smiled at him and nudged his arm a little bit, but his frown never moved. They walked on in silence.

It never occured to Yumi that a tiny, sixth sense could mean the difference between life and death.

_-.-.-_

More later. Woot! Tell me what ya think. -.-.-Shaku-.-.-


	2. Afraid of the Dark?

_**Chapter 2---Afraid of the Dark?**_

Odd could hear water, dripping slowly with several seconds between intervals of silence. His head throbbed and his jaw ached like he'd been slapped. Hard. The cold surface he seemed to be on was most uncomfortable.

He knew how he had come to be there. A very pretty but much too evil vampire girl had squeezed his head like a melon. At that time, fainting was beyond him. All he could think about was the excrutiating pain he was having to endure. Then, very abruptly, the pain was gone, leaving Odd to fall to the floor barely conscious. Through the black specks blinding his vision, he had seen a bright hole forming in the air. The world he saw through that hole had caused him to black out instantly. Lyoko.

While he was still trying to convince himself to wake up from this horrible nightmare, Odd tried to recall the things that happened just before the vampire creature decided to go all anal on them. The cobra. That was the scariest thing he'd ever done in his life, and he hardly even remembered doing it.

_"We were sitting at the lunch table when the giant snake first made its way through the halls. The day was like any other, except for the fact that people would die today. People I know; people I love." _

_Yumi's short story was pretty good, but Odd really thought she needed a bit more action and violence at the part when the snake simply squeezed him to death. His idea of a good story involved people getting ripped in half and eaten by anacondas, not hissed at and constricted. His twenty minutes were almost up, and in the next five his friends would finally realize that nothing was wrong and Jeremie would tell him he could leave. Listening to Yumi repeat her tragic tale was beginning to get boring. The next part was when a guy named "Timmothy" gets swallowed whole. Definitely not enough blood in the story to satisfy Odd. _

_There was no chance that Odd could've seen the morphed, bat-like girl any sooner than when she streaked from the shadows and sent Jeremie flying clear into the opposite wall. Needless to say he was on his feet, ready to give a fight. The red symbol of Xana was painted on the creature's forehead. She was actually the prettiest creation Xana had come up with yet, despite her dark, purple skin and bony bat wings. Odd admired pretty girls, even if they had fangs four inches long and black talons that could stick him like a roast pig. The vicious snarl on her lips and the way she took pleasure in seeing Jeremie sprawled out on the floor was enough to turn him off completely. This was a creature of evil, Xana's creature. Nothing could make him admire that for long._

_"What the--?" was as far as Ulrich got before he, too, was knocked to the floor. He quickly flipped the vampire over with his legs, though. Had she not had wings to catch her fall, she would've smacked into the floor as hard as Ulrich. The brunette got out of striking range by rolling over to where Odd stood. Yumi was tending to Jeremie as best she could. Hopefully that thing would not notice until she was stopped. _

_"We need a weapon," Odd said, glancing at Ulrich. _

_"Yeah," he replied, nodding with enthusiasm, "I don't thing there's any way we can beat her if we don't have anything but our bare hands to fight her with."_

_"I don't like the idea of hurting a girl, Ulrich." That suprised Odd. After she'd beaten up on two of his best friends, he still felt some pity for her. _

_"Just don't think about it," Ulrich said flatly. The creature was swooping toward them again. "On three."_

_"Three!" _

_  
Odd jumped as high as he could to put something between the vampire and Ulrich. Had he waited any longer in counting, Ulrich likely would've protested that he be the one to jump. It was unlike him to do crazy stunts though. That was Odd's job. The creature frowned in a moment of shock, giving Odd the chance to grab her by the waist and pull them both to the floor. They rolled around for a few seconds, but the advantage of surprise didn't last long. The girl had Odd pinned to the floor. It was his turn to be surprised. She wasn't using her talons at all. It was almost like she was using this time to mess with them. _

_Ulrich's foot collided with the creature's side, making her eyes widen before she slumped forward and released Odd. Now Odd was the one pinning her to the floor. "Stupid bitch," he growled, "This is for screwing with my evening!" His fist on her jaw sent her head around more than ninety degrees, but she twisted it back around slowly, grinning insanely, and slid it back into place with a terrible _popping_ sound. Odd barely had time to jump back out of the way of those long, black, knife-like nails.  
_

_"Odd!" Ulrich yelled, "Behind you!" _

_Turning slowly-- that felt so cliche to him; it was something silly movie characters did when the audience knew there was a big danger behind them-- he made his eyes follow up the huge mass of black scales and across the wide head of a cobra twice as big as he. His heart pounded against his chest so hard he thought it must be ready to break through. The giant snake was reared back in a striking position. Odd had less than a second to move. _

Groggily, Odd forced himself to sit up. The air around him was thick, dry, and his body was coated with a cold sweat. The only thing he could tell about this chamber was that the walls were black. Or maybe that was just because everything was black. The place felt...familiar. A tingle in the back of his memory told him that this was a Tower in Lyoko, but that was impossible. No one could go to Lyoko straight from reality. They had to be virtualized first.

Yet there was the gateway. That was not his imagination, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it was. Somehow, they'd been directly transported into Lyoko from reality.

_Had Yumi not abandoned trying to help Jeremie for lending Odd a hand instead, he would likely have died. Her shoulder pushed against his and sent them both flying away from the snake's bite, barely in time. Odd didn't need to think to get up. Yumi took longer, though. He quickly darted to the other side of the room where he could distract the cobra away from the older girl. _

_"Come on now, you fucking overgrown worm," he said, smiling even though their situation was beginning to look hopeless, "Give Daddy some sugars!" If Odd had to choose one thing he was the most proud of, he would say without a doubt his creative use of language. _

_The snake turned toward him, moving like lightning. Odd knew if he didn't come up with a plan soon, he would likely never get his chance to talk to Sissy. Ulrich was quick with his wits, but Odd knew how to improvise. Together they were unbeatable, but the two had percs of their own at their disposal, too. As the cobra slithered toward him-- faster than he'd ever seen a normal snake move-- he grabbed the chair that Jeremie normally sat in. Everything was riding on how well Odd could predict the snake's movements. This time, it didn't wait to strike. Its fangs came toward Odd so fast that the snake actually blurred, but not so fast that he didn't have time to sling the chair into its mouth. His precision was dead on. He adjusted a bit by moving to the side some. While the seat part of the chair blocked one fang, the other cut the chair leg off at a diagonal, making a sort of spear. The metal hissed as the acid from the bite ate part of it away, but that didn't slow Odd one bit. With an angry cry of desperation, he forced his entire body weight into ramming the spear into the snakes body. More than once he did this, for the thing only thrashed and, blinded by pain, struck at nothing. _

_When Odd turned around, he saw Ulrich standing some feet behind the vampire creature. His lips moved in a soundless "No," as the creature pushed off from the ground, swooping above the supercomputer. Still laughing, the thing crashed down, creating an explosion that knocked all of them to the floor. Lying there, staring up at the ceiling, hope bloomed in Odd's mind. That explosion would kill the evil vampire. They could fix the computer when Jeremie woke up, go back in time, and he would get to see Sissy like he'd wanted to for the past few weeks. His shoulders shook with a happiness that felt strangely foreign. _

_When he stood, though, the evil girl stood several feet in front of Yumi, holding Ulrich by the collar of his shirt. He was unconscious. The chair leg was still in Odd's hand. If the snake could die, then so could she, right? Surely it would be no different than killing the crabs or wasps. When he looked down at the weapon, though, he wanted to scream. In the malestrom of stabbing the snake, Odd had not wanted to open his eyes for fear of seeing something he did not want to. He hadn't thought that what he saw now would happen, yet there it was: blood as real as his own, fresh and dripping from the chair leg. Unlike other creatures Xana had come up with, which all seemed to be robots of some sort, the snake was very much alive. _Had been _alive. It lay still now, curled up in a corner of the room. _

_Disgusted with himself for both not being able to kill the vampire and for very likely sealing their fate to an agonizing death, Odd tossed the improvised spear onto the floor where it clattered and mixed with the sound of the creature's blood-curdling laughter. Odd's eyes widened momentarily at the sight of Jeremie, awake and running toward the creature in an attempt to save Ulrich, but his effort looked useless, pointless. She turned, like she knew Jeremie was behind her, and tossed Ulrich into his blond friend. In seconds, Jeremie and Ulrich were both out of the game. Strangely, Odd realized that the she-demon hadn't really noticed Yumi except for when she tried to interfere with the rest of them. She was still huddled in the corner, mumbling to herself. Odd's mind raced with ideas, something- _anything _to help them get out of this. None would work, and he knew that. In one last desperate attempt, Odd rushed forward._

_He thought he saw a wry smirk form on the vampire's lips just before she moved to the side. Odd smiled himself, for he must've looked like a fool, streaking past her and unable to stop running. He was surprised at how quickly he managed to slow down. When he turned to face her, to face death, he gulped. He had to look ridiculous. She was nearly five feet taller than he! The girl stepped toward him like an executioner. Odd did not try to move. He gave her an apologetic shrug just before she moved her hand out to clasp Odd's head. Woozily, Odd realized he was screaming. Slow, agonizing pain oozed through his body like poison. He wished he could black out from the pain, but it seemed that was the only thing keeping him awake. A slow, nonmemoriable death- all because he was too soft-hearted with girls to kill one. He could feel the warm trickle of blood down his cheeks. It was almost soothing. _

_And then it was gone, so suddenly that Odd thought he must have awoken from a dream. He could feel himself being slung over her shoulder, along with Ulrich and Jeremie, but he could not move to save his life. The vampire started to move her hand strangely, all the time laughing in that maniacal manner, and a hole opened up to admit a view into the virtual world of Lyoko. Blackness was a sweet salvation for him. _

Odd heard a grunt beside him, then a shakey voice, hoarse and dry, asked, "Odd...? Where are we?" It was Ulrich.

Odd opened his mouth to speak, and wished he hadn't. He felt dizzy and feverish, and talking wouldn't help that. He told himself to grow a thicker skin. Their condition was not very good at all. "We're not at the uptown cafe, that's for sure." Ulrich didn't laugh at his joke. "I think we're in Lyoko," he said after a few minutes of silence. He couldn't even see where Ulrich was, but he could hear him very close by.

"Lyoko? How's that possible? Did that...thing shove us into the scanners?"

Odd placed a hand on his forehead. Such a wonderful evening, completely devastated by Xana. He hoped it was Xana. If not... No, the creature had Xana's symbol painted on her forehead. Sissy would hate him now, thinking that his little arrangement was a joke to embarrass her. He laughed bitterly. Odd had never liked irony. "No, she created a gateway after you and Jeremie were knocked out." Listening to his own words, he realized that Jeremie was either still unconscious, or not even in the same room. Odd said not a word about him, though."This is total chicken shit... Do you know how bad off we could be right now? If I ever see Xana in person or meet the virtual intelligence here in Lyoko or whatever, I swear I'll kill him. I'll rip him apart with my bare hands if I have to."

"Odd... Don't say things like that." A hand lighted on Odd's shoulder. Ulrich aparently had no problem seeing in the dark.

"Why not? This isn't the first time he's nearly ruined our lives for good. The only difference now is that he succeeded. You were awake when the creature blew up the supercomputer. If we truly are in Lyoko, we have no way of getting out or going back in time. Whatever happens from now on really will happen."

"That's no reason to go all psycho-murderer on me,"Ulrich said, his frown showing by the way he spoke. Odd wondered how Ulrich kept his calm no matter what their situation. He only seemed to be jumpy when Yumi was around. That was another thing: Yumi wasn't taken through the gateway, and neither was Aelita for that matter. If nothing had come after them after the creature made the gateway, then there was still a small hope that one might come to their rescue. Aelita knew almost as much about the supercomputer as Jeremie.

"I'm not a murderer," Odd murmured. _Not yet, anyway._ He certainly felt the urge to kill after the damage Xana had caused this time. He closed his eyes. Even in the darkness he could see the room spinning. Anger or no anger, he was still queasy.

"Right," Ulrich sounded convinced. "I know you're not." Their friendship tied trust around them like actual ropes, binding them together. Odd gently touched a place on the side of his head and winced. His injuries were still there.

That brought another thought to mind: Feeling real pain in Lyoko was impossible. Sure, once you got out of the scanner you were pretty beat up, but never while actually being in the virtual world. He touched his temples again, just to confirm his suspicions. A cold shiver rippled through his body. They were really there. _Real_ in Lyoko; pysically real, not merely vitualized. "Ulrich, you know I'm not one to be pessimistic, but I don't think we were virtualized here."

"What?"

"Don't sound so surprised." Odd gestured for Ulrich to keep his voice down, but the loud groan that came from Ulrich as he went on was no quieter than the last comment. "We were transported here directly from a space in the real world, ergo we are still 'real,' regardless of the fact that we are in a computerized world. I can still feel pain; seeing as how you're suddenly quiet, I'd say you can too."

"But how? It's... Well, I don't _think_ it's impossible, but it was certainly something that I knew we couldn't do. I guess we thought..." Ulrich trailed off, not wanting to voice their ignorance.

"That Xana couldn't do it either." Odd said bluntly. He laughed softly. It seemed he was doing that a lot lately. "Stupid... Everything is just stupid... Why didn't Jeremie know about his? Hasn't he been tracking Xana's every move? If he didn't see it, what about Aelita? And us! We're in here all the time. Why didn't we see something unusual? Why--?"

"Odd, stop it." Ulrich had both hands on Odd's shoulders now. He blinked at the darkness and swallowed fear and anger both. "You're frustrated, and I can understand that, but brooding over something we can do nothing about will not change anything. We need to do what we can."

Odd nodded. He would not cry. Crying was for girls and little babies.

Out of the corner of his eye, Odd saw a light. It was dim, but strong enough to illumine the face of a pretty girl their age, dressed all in white. She was coming forward slowly. The light was a literal ball, glowing about an inch above her outstreatched hand and making a slight _hummm_ sound. Something nudged into Odd's side, and it didn't take a heartbeat to know that Ulrich wanted his attention. Odd leaned over ever so slightly, and listened closely to Ulrich's whisper. "Xana's minion. You escape. I'll distract. Quickly, but wait for it." Odd understood most of his friend's message, but he did find himself frowning at the part about Ulrich distracting her. He had no right to argue though. It was Ulrich's turn.

They watched the girl until she came within arm's reach of them, just enough to where she could brush either with the tips of her fingernails. She smiled happily. For some reason, she reminded Odd of a nurse. Nurses had the same kind, gracing smile that she had, the kind that was plastered on their face with no warmth at all. They knew they were there to help you, but to do so they put you in pain, and they did it to everyone every day as a routine. The girl even had her red hair up in a bun, with a tiny white bow tied around it, just like a nurse he once had to see. Needless to say, Odd hated hospital visits. That particular woman had more acid in her than a nuclear power plant and enough meanness to put Adolf Hitler to shame.

"Odd," she said brightly, nodding to him. "Ulrich." Not nearly so cheerful for Odd's companion. "I hope you are both most comfortable. I'll be the one seeing you today." Her eyes darted toward the floor. No, not the floor. The glowing ball only gave off enough light to show her face and the hand that held the ball up, but Odd had the suspicion that she was carrying something unpleasant in her other hand. Comfortable? The girl must be blind! He was sitting on a rock, of all things, and she wanted him to be _comfortable_. Ulrich's loud snort mirrored Odd's thoughts. She continued her speech like a programmed robot, "I must ask you not to run away. The last one tried that, and, you see... He did not fair quite so well." Odd and Ulrich looked at one another, but there was nothing they could do if Jeremie had tried to escape before they woke up. "Odd," her voice regained the bright, enthusiastic quality she was giving only to said boy, "I'll see you first. Come right over here, please. Oh, and I am called Flow." Odd stared up at her and made a point not to do so much as blink.

"Maybe I should go first," Ulrich said, feigning cuteness. He did that sometimes, when a lot of girls were around. Odd had always thought it was a habit Ulrich didn't know about. It proved to be a useful quality, though. Despite Flow's earlier distaste for Ulrich, she smiled at his wide brown eyes. Times like this made Odd wish he didn't have bright, icy, gray eyes.

"Hmm, all right then. Ulrich, sit." She pointed to her right. Ulrich stood up. Odd had no idea what he was going to try, but he hoped it had nothing to do with being Flow's lapdog. He watched, still unblinking, as Ulrich walked calmly in front of her.

"Where are we?"

Flow looked startled, and her smile faltered for a second, but she masked her features again just as quickly. Odd might've imagined it. "Do be a good boy and keep quiet until I'm finished." Stuborn girl.

"Are you alive?"

"I thought I told you to politely be quiet. Now, if you'll please sit d-"

"Do you know who Xana is?"

Odd thought her jaw must be aching for all the smiling Flow was showing off. Her face looked contorted into some twisted form of happiness, pain, and hate. Ulrich stared at her defiantly. Odd was looking for a way out.

"This is the Black Tower," she said suddenly. Her smile fell slowly, until her lips were a thin flat line. It was the angriest look Odd had ever seen on a human face. "Most prisoners we deal with are not as far along as you seem to be, my pretty brunette, and I was hoping I'd have to deal with you last. Yes, prisoners. Don't look so shocked, Odd. You both already know more than you should. It shan't take you much longer to fit all the pieces together."

Odd thought his heart would pound straight out of his chest. Ulrich hadn't given him a signal yet. He could barely make out the lithe form in front of Flow, but he knew Ulrich was there. Not too much longer and-

"I told you not to think about running away, did I not?"

His mouth felt suddenly dry. He found himself wetting his lips in anticipation, and he tried not to think about running. There was no way out of this room that he could see, and no way to tell which direction the nurse had come. Flow couldn't read his mind...could she?

"Look, Fleur, Flay, whatever you're name is- all we want is to get back home and-"

"I don't think so. You probably want to run back home to little Yumi, no doubt." Odd saw Ulrich shake with that comment. "Do not worry. It will all be over soon. You won't need to protect the world, my dear, if there isn't a world to protect." The sick feeling returned as Odd tried not to look at Ulrich or Flow. The red-head's sweet, fake smile formed on her lips again, only now it seemed twice as haunting. Ulrich fell to his knees, shaking his head. _No real world? _Odd thought. _Surely not..._ It was a bluff. It had to be! He watched anxiously for Ulrich to stand up. What the hell was he waiting for?

"So...you _do_ know who Xana is?"

"Why yes. I do."

Odd watched the scene before him in slow motion, though it happened in mere minutes. Ulrich first tried to snatch the ball of light from her hand, but he yelled out in pain and withdrew his own hand after the very second it came in contact with the light. There was a reason it was floating over Flow's hand and not in it. Not only was the nurse surprised, she was downright taken aback. She leaned back so far away from Ulrich that she fell flat on her ass and actually bounced several times, sending the ball flying off somewhere else. There was a loud clangor of objects hitting the floor, but Odd ignored that. It was all he could do just to surpress laughter. Ulrich was not laughing. In another heartbeat, he was bestriding Flow with both hands on her neck. The poor girl was making a gurgling sound. "Run, Odd," Ulrich panted. Another, smaller clatter said Ulrich was fumbling with the objects that were strewn about the floor.

"Ulrich, you can't--!" Odd's hand fell. This was too much. He couldn't watch a girl die by his best friend's hand. He couldn't-

"I SAID _GO_, ODD! NOW!"

Odd sprang to his feet before thinking. He was running head-on into the blackness before thinking. In fact, the thought of thinking about anything else besides not thinking was beyond him. He didn't care that he ran into a wall, nor did he care that the wall did not have any cracks or knobs he could use to escape. He simply felt his way along until the wall suddenly gave way to a corner. He allowed himself one last glance back at Ulrich, though he couldn't see a thing in the darkness. It was not Ulrich's voice that filled his ears.

"Go ahead and try, my doll." Oh, that sickly sweet voice sounded so awkward in the dark and musty atmosphere of the chamber. He could just see the body of the poor guy she'd mentioned before, bloody and very much dead at her feet, and she with that happy smile on her face. How Odd _loathed_ irony. It could not have been Jeremie she was talking about. "Running will only lead you to more heartache. It would be so better if you gave up now. Really; all you have to do is walk back over here. I'll even go easy on your friend."

Quelling fear, Odd replied to Flow in a rather smug manner, "It was nice meeting you, and all, but I think I'd rather believe you are a figment of my imagination. You do have a strange resemblance to a nurse I once had to see when I was little. Take my advice and don't harm Ulrich. Believe me, I _will_ find out, and I swear I'll come back for you when I do." Odd had to dash down his newly found corridor to stop Flow from seeing him shudder. He was amazed that his voice hadn't cracked once during his tiny threat. He felt very much like a canary telling the cat that he would eat her instead of vice versa. If he looked at it that way, the threat simply sounded silly.

He stopped running because the last thing he needed was to run into a wall and knock himself out. Instead, he walked none too steadily in the darkness with his left hand pressed hard against the stone, silently hoping for a light, or a person- _anything_ that would take his mind off the many things that seemed plague it. Three more corners he turned, until finally, after God only knows how long, he saw a tiny speck of light at the end of yet another hallway. Odd felt a tiny hope, and pushed it down before it could blossom. Better to not hope at all than believe and be disappointed. He was losing his sense of humor.

Not even Odd could have enough humor for what he found in the light at the end of the tunnel.

-.-.-

Any better? I tried to make this chapter a bit longer. Hope you're enjoying this. Tell me what you think! -.-.-Shaku-.-.-


	3. Senoczine

_**Chapter 3---Senoczine**_

"Run, Odd..."

He couldn't do it. He _wouldn't_!

But he had to. There was no other option.

"I SAID _GO_, ODD! NOW!"

Ulrich had absolutely no way of knowing what sort of strange item he had in his hand. All he knew was that it had been on the tray that Flow dropped. He hoped it was nothing lethal. What he was about to do went against everything he'd been taught to do all his life. Odd could preach about not harming girls all he wanted, but that wouldn't change the fact that they were in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Odd wasn't the decoy today. Odd was his only hope. Maybe he should start commiserating now...

With one hand around Flow's neck, it was a tad bit difficult to do anything else besides hold her down. Ulrich knew he must be choking her near to death, but she was a virtual intelligence, as in "not real." He'd planned on sacking her the moment the tiny speck of light appeared. Speaking of the light; what in the _world_ was that thing? Nothing else in Lyoko had hurt him so far. He'd tried, with a rock when he was talking with Odd a while ago. It didn't hurt. Only the injuries from the real world still stung, and only the glowing ball had hurt him in Lyoko so far. He could use that to his advantage.

As he listened to Odd's footsteps echoing farther away, he noticed something he hadn't before: water. This place was moist, he knew, but he could see the reflection of shadows on a pool of water some feet away now. He didn't have time to stare, though. Ulrich's hands went stiff around Flow's neck as a jolting pain shot through his already injured side. He struggled for a moment to hold her, but his arms felt...weaker. His head suddenly throbbed and the world in front of him started to swim. Flow was easily able to push him off to one side. She'd drugged him, and with one hell of a big needle, too. Ulrich winced slightly when his fingers brushed against the tender wound. It was warm and sticky with blood from the new puncture, yet hard and crusty where the blood from his previous wound had dried. He wanted to gag, but even that seemed too much for him to handle. Any movement at all would send him to unconsciousness. He faintly heard Flow saying something:

"Go ahead and try, my doll. Running will only lead you to more heartache. It would be so much better if you just gave up now. Really; all you have to do is walk back over here. I'll even go easy on your friend." She was talking to Odd.

_Go easy_ on him? If Ulrich ever made a list of people he wanted to kill, this Flow chick would definitely be at the top. Not that he really _wanted_ to kill her, but still. She was an enemy, just like any of the crabs or wasps. The strange thing was, Ulrich heard a reply also.

"It was nice meeting you, and all, but I think I'd rather believe you are a figment of my imagination. You do have a strange resemblance to a nurse I once had to see when I was little. Take my advice and don't harm Ulrich. Believe me, I _will_ find out, and I swear I'll come back for you when I do."

Odd's words seemed to echo along with his pounding footsteps. He'd escaped, for now. And with a good word in, too. Whether that would help or hurt Ulrich in the end, he did not know. He hoped it would be helpful.

"Ulrich," Flow said sweetly, "would you like to meet Vixeinya?"

"Vikshnaza-what?" Whoever it was, Ulrich had no intention of finding out. He needed to be moving!

"Vixeinya. Oh, or have you two met already? She's Xana's most prized creature. A real organism." Her voice took on a nostalgic tone. "Ah, how long has it been since I last took a breath? Too long to remember, anyhow. If I were ever devirtualized again, I'd probably die." She laughed suddenly, like she'd made some sort of joke. Ulrich didn't laugh, or even smile. He was too busy plotting.

"What is this stuff?" Ulrich asked, trying to buy some time while using his little finger to feebly point at his side. It was a pain to point. Movement made it hurt worse. Every breath he took stung like a thousand needles piercing his lungs.

"Was it the large needle?" Flow bent down to pick up her items, frowning and _tsk_ing at the things that Ulrich had aparently broken. "Yes. I'm afraid so." She started to mumble to herself before resuming her fake-nurse getup. Ulrich should've said his question was rhetorical. "It is a nasty concoction that Xana made many years ago"--Ulrich's mouth dropped at the words 'many years'; exactly how old _was_ Xana?--"when the other experiments grew too boring. A simple blend of compounds, placed together so perfectly, makes up the drug called _Senoczine_. It's ingenius, really, how each atom blends--"

"But what does it _do_?" Ulrich wasn't an impatient person, but Flow was growing far too excited on the topic of science. He didn't like science very much anyway. _Atoms_? The more he heard about Xana from Flow, the less he liked being on the road he was headed down.

Flow blinked several times, but her doll-like grin never twitched. "It kills you, slowly. Xana has only had one patient to survive it so far. The rest... Well, let's just say there was a hole where their heart used to beat before they could even think to scream in agony."

Ulrich gulped. His throat burned. It really did suddenly seem like every beat of his heart was another second to the countdown on a bomb. Something extremely sharp was slowly making its way down Ulrich's neck and across his collar bone. He didn't notice it until now because of how slight the pain was when compared to the rest of the aching in his body. He stopped himself from gulping again. The vampire creature. Her long nails were sharper than anything he'd ever seen or felt; they cut across his skin like butter. And she was real, so Flow stated. Just like the snake Odd had killed; just like him. Vixeinya...

"She wants to play with you, Ulrich," Flow chimmed in a school-girl chitter, "You know, I think she likes you best of the three." She looked ready to burst with laughter. How could anyone be so happy over another's pain? Flow's hand brushed away the pin-like nails, though. Ulrich still couldn't move, but the red-head didn't seem to have any trouble lifting him gently. Where she was taking him however...

The water in the puddle-- well, make that _pond_-- did not seem so interesting now as it had earlier. Flow had the nerve to pat him on the head. "Take my advice, Ulrich, and this will be over soon enough. Lay very still."

"Why don't you take_ Odd's_ advice and leave me the heck alone," he mumbled.

"I can't say I didn't warn you. Be still, and everything will be fine." With one, two, three swings, Ulrich found himself flying into the pond. No, he didn't just dive in. He thrashed helplessly in the air, ignoring his pain, just before he slapped down into the water. On his back. Lying still didn't seem like such a bad idea. It was a wonder he remembered to take a deep breath just before he hit the surface, and even more so that he held it once he was under. The impact made white streaks flash across his eyes, but the cool water felt nice against his burning skin. Deeper he sank, into a darkness that almost seemed alive. The water around him was black. Even darker shapes loomed about the shadows and creavices of rocks or...whatever they were. Strange grasses caressed his arms and face. It was like being in a bubble full of slimy fringe. Lay still. That was what Flow had told him to do, but should he take her advice? What would Odd do?

He knew the answer to that one. Odd would probably float back to the top and yell at Flow for drenching him. Then he would swim around the pond like it was a pool and not a death trap. For all Ulrich knew, it really _was_ a pool!

The moment something hard clamped down on his ankle, he knew Flow was lying. Her idea of amusement was watching people suffer, and Ulrich wasn't about to give the likes of her that satisfaction. Or Vixa-what's-her-face. Or Xana. Or _anybody_ who was mad enough to relish in his pain. But it was like he was chained down. The cold numbed his pain, somewhat, but already his lungs were screaming for fresh air.

Ulrich began desperately waving his arms and grasping for something to try to pry his ankle free. He got a hand full of fringy seaweed. There was nothing solid nearby, and he was running out of time. Time. He could _feel_ the countdown in his head now. The strain on his heart from lack of oxygen was making the drug ten times worse. But Flow said that one person had survived. Well, if they could, then so could he. He fought the urge to gulp a mouthfull of water.

When his foot smashed into something solid, his first instinct was to open his mouth and scream. It was probably broken. He did no such thing as scream. In the process of registering a broken foot, Ulrich's mind also somehow managed to recognize the restraint on his ankle no longer there. The force of smashing his foot into a rock must've also broken the shackle.

His next objective was air. He needed to breath, _now_, or die in a vain attempt to survive the now horrifying world of Lyoko. Had he not been directly transported here, he could breathe in the water as well as any fish. Or at least hold his breath for half an hour. But the water was as real as the glowing ball or the needle Flow had stabbed him with. Why did most things seem real now? Virtual reality and actual reality were not the same thing! Ulrich did not have time to think about Lyoko. He had to literally use his _will power_ to make his arms swish forward. They ached like nothing he'd ever felt. If Ulrich had thought his head was throbbing before, then it was pounding now. He couldn't die. Not here. Not where no one would ever know. The blackness went on forever, but so did he. Every stroke of his arms and kick of his legs seemed like a lifetime of struggle, but, driven by determination, he did not stop.

But the beautifully pale, heart-shaped face that appeared before him stopped him dead in his swimming. Yumi. He hadn't thought of her once since coming to Lyoko, and maybe for the better, but... Oh, he could imagine her as vividly as he could had she really been there, two feet in front of him. He wanted her close, safe, to give him the extra mile he needed to live. But the Yumi beckoning him to the right was not the real Yumi. The mirage would not stop him. He suddenly felt like the emptiness of the lake.

Ulrich could do nothing but watch as his limbs slowly stopped moving. No matter how much strength a person has, one cannot move without energy and oxygen. He felt weak, tired. He wanted to close his eyes, but he kept them open to watch the last bubbles of life drift from his mouth and up through the black abyss. He couldn't stop the flood of water that entered his mouth. When Ulrich found that he couldn't stop his eyes from closing this time, he knew he was dying.

But then the water started to swirl. It swished and circulated and drew him into the current like a twig in a river flood. The blackness remained, but he could no longer see the seaweed, only bubbles from the whirlpool. In the process of spinning helplessly, Ulrich was smashed against a rock, knocking any water that had entered his lungs back into the pond. With an effort, he forced himself to keep his mouth shut. He felt shrivled up like a prune. Having bad air was one thing, but holding your breath without _any_ air was quite another.

Suddenly-- as quickly as the whirlpool had come from nowhere-- he was out of the water. Or at the surface, at least. Wonderful tasting air filled his lungs to the max. He wanted to sleep, to give up for a minute. That would not keep him alive. He seemed to be in some sort of cave-like laboratory, and the water he was standing in was shallow. It came up to his neck, but his feet were flat on the ground. Taking that first step was the hardest, but soon Ulrich was crawling out of the water. His foot and sides were throbbing relentlessly, but just for a moment he wanted to stop and rest. As he lay there on the bank, watching the room spin around him, he thought of an earlier time, when Lyoko was more like a game than a chore. Their lives had changed so much since they'd first found out about Lyoko. Back then, it_ had _been a game. They didn't take it seriously. Now Xana was proving to them just how wrong they were. Real people? Real creatures? Just who _was_ Xana, and what business did he have with world domination? If that was even his motive. And what about Aelita? Had he forgotten all about her? Or was she in danger this very second? Ulrich could rip his hair out trying to answer all of the questions plaguing his mind, but like he'd reasoned out before, that would get him nowhere. He hated pointless frustration.

"...But honestly, Flow, how could he survive a swim like that? Not to mention with _Senoczine_ in his system. If you ask me, it's impossible. He's dead, and you know the boss is going to be mad. Stop wasting time, take your punishment, and get back to work."

"He's not dead, and I'm not going to get punished. Shush, I thought I heard something..."

It was so hard not to scream. Such a short moment of peace, and he chose to spend it dwelling over what he could do nothing about. No matter now. More footsteps, echoing in the room. Two sets, at least. He could tell that by the foreign voice that spoke to Flow. Scrambling to his feet took a great deal of strength that Ulrich just did not have. He could hear his breath, ragged and uneven, fanning out like his life. He could hear the ticking of the imaginary clock inside his heart, along with a high pitched ringing. And he could hear the water, a slight trickle that tickled his ears. Everything hurt, and he wanted nothing more than to fall down and beg for Flow to let him off easy. The other person with Flow thought he was dead though. That could be a very good advantage. And so could the crates that were piled along the opposite side of the wall. Maybe he was running off determination, or maybe adrenaline, but whatever it was, he ran. He hid.

"Do you _really_ believe we'll find his body down here, Flow?" A third, squeaky voice asked. Three pairs of feet, then.

"Of course I do. You know how a drain pipe works. If he weren't down here, we would've seen him on the bed of the pond upstairs. Any more usless questions?"

The first voice spoke up again. "I've got one. What if Shella got him?"

"Shella?" The squeaky voice said, shaking a little with what Ulrich determined as fear.

Flow asked, "You mean the giant squid like creature that Xana keeps in this lake? Nah, I've got him taken care of. I've always wanted rid of that thing anyway. He eats too many of the test subjects."

Light flooded his eyes suddenly. Through the cracks in the crate he was hiding in, Ulrich could see how bright the room really was. The walls and ceiling were visible now, proving his theory about the place being a lab. There were viles and jars and strange objects everywhere, scattered about in no particular order. It looked as though no one had been there in a long time. There were three people standing in the center of the room, Flow the shortest one with her bright red hair. The other two looked like foil opposites of each other. While one was near Flow's height, the other towered above them. Where the short female looked timid, the tall male looked angry. The small one was beautiful, and the other...ugly was the only word for it. He almost didn't even look human, like some sort of dog shoved into a white lab coat. A mean dog.

"Bart, I don't feel like looking around down here right now. I think I'm going to leave that to you and Cherri. That other blond boy _is_ running around loose somewhere; I need to find him first before I continue with Mr. Brunette. After you find him, simply set him on a table in plain sight. Trust me, he won't have the strength to fight back."

Bart made an edgy salute and said a sarcastic, "Yes, ma'am," while the shorter girl-- Cherri?-- bowed to Flow formally. Polar opposites. Flow looked satisfied though.

"I'll leave you to your work then." She flashed her cheery smile, then scurried back up the enormous staircase on the far side of the back wall.

"God," Bart said suddenly, so loud that Ulrich jumped. "I was wondering if that bitch would ever leave us alone. She thinks she's head scientist here, but she's only a guinea pig. We know that, don't we doll?"

To Ulrich's amazement, Cherri looked down and nodded meekly. "Yes, sir."

"I mean, come on! I'm twice the rank she is, and boss still bumps her up to the hot spot up top. Who does she think she is, though? Snapping orders at higher ranks such as myself could end her back in the real world. One little accident would be all it'd take. You know what I mean, Cherri?"

Cherri nodded again. The poor girl looked on the verge of tears. But on the other hand, she'd looked like that from the moment he first saw her when the lights came on. Melancholy. She bore a strange resemblance to Yumi, but her hair was much longer with bangs, and she wore glasses. And she was _much_ older, of course. Older than his mother, by the looks of things. That was also a strange sight. Bart could only be three years his senior at the most despite his hideousness, and Cherri must be twice that, yet she bowed and took orders from that infidel as if she were the young apprentice. "If it pleases you, sir, I believe we must get started."

"Yeah, yeah... In a second. I've got some business I want to finish with you first, doll baby."

"Yes, of course."

Cherri-- beautiful, anxious, melancholy, Yumi-like Cherri-- slowly unbuttoned her lab coat, and tossed it to the floor. Next was her other clothing. All of it. She stood still as a board with Bart circling around her. He had some strange knife-like object in his hand. Ulrich saw him lick his lips. With only a hint of anticipation, Bart led Cherri over to one of the medical tables. She willingly let him strap her down.

Ulrich leaned back away from the crack he'd used for spying. He didn't want to watch this. He didn't want to see this, or even be there. He wanted to get away from the God-forsaken place. Ulrich placed a trembling hand to his cheek and felt the silent tears streaking his face. They left a salty taste in his mouth that wasn't pleasant at all. A wet, slick taste. He gulped, and traced his fingers along his lips. Not salty. Metallic, and bitter. Blood.

He was already dead. If not from the drug, then from hypothermia, or blood loss. Some other disease found only in virtual reality. There was no way to escape death now, even if a miracle happened. What was the point of trying to go on? What was the point of risking Odd's perfectly healthy life to save his already dead one? He'd tried to hold on to hope, but at this rate, Ulrich's determination felt like a well in the Sahara: dried up and gone.

It took a great deal of will power for Ulrich to force himself to lean forward again. Faint will power. A sixth sense. He'd told Yumi that that she needed to trust her intuition more often, just before coming here. He wished he'd taken his own advice then, so he took it now. He listened to the tiny voice somewhere in his mind telling him to look back at the traumatic scene. He was shocked when he saw Cherri staring directly at him. His first notion was to jump up and make a run for it, even if he knew he wouldn't make it two steps. But another thought hit him so hard that he snapped his mouth shut and stared back at her. Bart seemed to ignore where she was looking. He was greedily readying some sort of tube that hooked up to the knife. Cherri's lips were moving, and from years of watching for Jeremie's signals in class of when and how they would get out of class, he could read every word. _Watch me. I have information you need. Do not be afraid. Half of what you hear is lies. Do not give up. I will tell you how you can live. You are the world's last hope. I couldn't believe that you both managed to escape. It was brilliance. Sheer brilliance. I--_

Her words stopped momentarily because Bart had driven the knife/shot into her side with an excessive amount of force. But momentarily was all it took. Seconds she stopped, and then, with great courage behind her sad eyes, she continued. _I know you're probably wondering why one of us is helping you. Well, I knew that I would die today. I was told I would. But that does not mean the world has to die so soon as well! I could not keep from you what you need to know. I've lived my life, and..._ Her entire body was starting to shake now. Bart was grinning like a mad fool with whatever sadistic pleasure he was gaining from this. Cherri hardly paused though. _...and you haven't yet, so I feel like I should help you if I can. And I know I can. Look at your feet. _

Ulrich did, very quickly. He didn't want to miss one scrap of her help, even though she was technically his enemy and was very likely killing him before he even knew it. There were about fourty tiny, blue viles in the bottom of the crate. He looked back at Cherri and wished he hadn't. His gut instinct already told him not to watch her, but his eyes took in the whole scene, from Bart's mad laughter, to Cherri's lost but hopeful eyes, to the eerie green liquid flowing into her through the tube. The poor woman was thrusting helplessly, groaning in pain. It was getting harder to read her lips, which were constantly moving and, now,covered in blood.

_Drink...three...of them. Give you...great strength. Sorry. Can't hold on...Can't...hold on... _Her silent words were starting to mix with her agonizing screams. Ulrich could almost hear death happening in the hoarseness of her voice. _You must kill Bart! Can't hold on. Kill him, please! Do not do it for vengance, but for the love of humanity! Can't hold on. He is not human! Can't. Kill him! Can't. Kill him! Oh, dear God, have mercy on my pathetic soul! Can't. Kill--_

Ulrich hadn't believed a word Flow had said about a drug that made your heart explode like a bomb. It was a shitty bluff, and at that, he'd put it toward the back of his mind. Until he got to see it first hand. Watching Cherri's naked body ripple and spurt blood from every opening like that... Looking at the crimson hole in her chest... Seeing but not believing her lightless eyes and pretty smile. Fuck, she looked _way_ too much like Yumi for Ulrich not to think about her. He quickly clutched a hand to his mouth to keep from vomitting. He could still taste his own blood. More so now than before. Dying was not an option now, not when he had a cure for the dreadful _Senoczine_. His hands were shaking so badly that he dropped the vile ten times before he finally managed to get the cork off, and then he gulped it down so fast he nearly choked. The taste of peppermint made him want to laugh and dry up his tears. Peppermint! Life was funny sometimes. He drank another, then another. Oh, they were good, but Cherri had said three. He didn't want to take chances on overdosing, especially with something he knew nothing about.

Not a minute gone, and he could already hear the ticking in his head slowing down. He did feel slightly stronger. His injuries cooled and healed almost instantly. He felt sick, though. Sick with hatred, sick with blind, unforgiving rage. That was something that Ulrich had never felt before. Bart was still laughing, and turning in his direction. Ulrich's heart skipped one precious beat. Had he seen what Cherri was up to?

"Bart," Flow said, walking around the very crate Ulrich was hiding in. He thought he just might die from a heart attack. The red-head still wore her motherly smile, even in the prescence of such a bloody, gorey mess. "I'm so glad you decided to go through with that. Cherri's been known for helping escapees for years. It's about time someone did her in." Ulrich didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing such cruel words said in a happy, optomistic voice.

"Yeah, bitch had it comin'. She did have some good curves, though. Such a shame." Bart sounded cynical, not lamenting the death of Cherri in the least. And why should he? He was the one who killed her. Ulrich clenched his fists and grinned when the two people failed to hear his knuckles popping.

"And by good you mean humane, right?" They both laughed at that, laughed at some sick-minded joke.

The very thought of mocking a dead person's legacy made Ulrich's skin crawl. Bart was a sick bastard, and Flow was a psychotic nurse. He thought he hated her _before_, but _now_... The two grew quiet at the sound of movement. The slow creaking the lid of the crate made was the only sound to ring through the eerie silence of the room. "Hey guys," Ulrich said, stomach fluttering with anger and pain and adrenaline. Somehow, his words were as calm as ever. "Miss me?"

-.-.-.-

Here's the third chapter. I sincerely hope you guys are enjoying my story. This is the first time I've tried to put a time limit on a fiction of mine. I have to update this within one week, otherwise give myself a penance, or something like that.

Shoud I up the rating to Mature? This chapter grew pretty graphic, and I'm afraid it's only going to get worse. I think I should. This story has got to be the most violent thing I've ever written. Woot.

Oh yes, and thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Rest assured that I appreciate each and every one. Arigatoo gozaimasu. -.-.-Shaku-.-.-


	4. Problem Solving

_**Chapter 4---Problem Solving**_

The vast emptiness of the factory seemed unusually quiet as Aelita made her way to the supercomputer. Jeremie had wanted to check up on another threat made by Xana via e-mail, and he'd offered her an invite, but... The truth of it was, she enjoyed staying in the real world much more than the emotionless world of Lyoko. Any chance she saw to stay away from the virtual reality was a chance taken. Of course, everything could not be avoided. She'd learned that quickly enough; she was the only one who could deactivate the Towers. Jeremie had called over an hour ago, and she'd heard no word from him, Ulrich, Yumi, or Odd, since. Most peculiar. They usually fill her in when things start to get sticky.

The silence pressed harder the closer she came to her destination. A fluttery feeling soon erupted in her stomach, and not the fluttery feeling she felt around Jeremie. This was much different, the feeling she now knew as nervousness, or fear. A growing fear, which weighed down heavier for every step she took. She started to hum to herself, hoping to lighten her mood, to convince herself that they were all waiting for her on the other side of the--

Aelita could not believe her eyes. Nothing in the real world had been so...fantasy-like...as the scene spread out before her. Yumi, sprawled out on the floor like a princess that desperately needed saving; she had her hand held toward the door, but it fell, as did Yumi's eyelids. Instead of screaming, Aelita gasped at the sight of an enormous snake-- dead, thankfully-- in the corner of computer room. Xana's symbol was glowing a light blue on the top of its forehead, but the snake was definitely no robot. It looked like a thing from one of Odd's horrible comic books, with scales like a dragon. The entire room looked like a scene from a comic book. And the supercomputer itself...! It was completely destroyed. What a mess; what a nightmare! There was...blood...everywhere. That was what she thought the crimson liquid on the floor and walls was, anyway. She thought she heard a scream die in her own throat, but it could've easily been a whimper.

For minutes she stood there, staring at the unbelieveable catastrophe before her eyes. It was worse than a nightmare. It was more horrific than any time she could remember in Lyoko. Where was Jeremie? And the other two boys? Were they still in Lyoko? Aelita's first instinct was to check on Yumi, and she did just that, running over to her friend and shaking her lightly. Amazingly, Yumi appeared unharmed, despite a nasty purple bruise forming on her forehead. "W-what happened?" was the only thing Aelita managed to say.

Yumi stared forward at nothing for the longest time. Aelita began to wonder whether she really was all right, mentally speaking. But then she blinked, and took a quick, deep breath at the sight of her pink haired friend. "Are you...okay, Yumi?" Aelita asked uncertainly. Yumi nodded slowly. She really did look quite a bit shaken up. "C'mon, let's get out of here and you can tell me what happened as soon as you feel better."

Of all the places Aelita thought she would go at a time like this, she never imagined Jeremie's room. She's been in there multiple times before, but never without the blond boy sitting beside her. Now, Yumi was her only companion in Jeremie's room. She helped Yumi onto his bed and twidled her thumbs nervously. Those nerves really were becoming a bad habit.

"Aelita," Yumi choked, half sobbing and still staring ahead at nothing. Softly, but her voice carried more emotion than Aelita had dreamed of feeling. Or wanted to feel. Yumi sounded hurt. "Aelita, he's gone... They're all gone... That awful, ugly creature came from nowhere and...and beat them up-- only them! She wouldn't touch me. She threw me against the wall and I was helpless. But she took Ulrich! And Jeremie, and Odd... Oh, why! _Why_ didn't we see something like this coming?"

"Yumi, calm down," Aelita said, patting her friend's shoulder. "You're not making much sense right now... Um... Maybe you should lie dow--"

"NO! Listen to me, Aelita!" Said girl shrunk back away from Yumi's vehement tone. What in the _world_ was the matter with her? "She was real. That evil, menacing, demonic _thing_ was literally real! I don't know how Xana managed to create a creature of flesh, but... She had that symbol, just like the other robots in Lyoko, but she was no thing of mechanics. She could bleed. She could hurt. God, how I want her to hurt!" Yumi paused and tilted her head sideways. Aelita wisely remained silent. "You were there, weren't you? To have brought me here, you must've seen the cobra! Well, did you?"

"Mhn," Aelita nodded vigorously, slowly reaching for her cell phone. If Yumi didn't start acting right soon... A creature took the boys and a giant snake lay dead in the factory? How could... That can't... Aelita stopped herself from thinking too far and blinked anxiously in Yumi's direction. She had to be okay. Even _if_ Ulrich was taken by some mad creature created by Xana, she was still the strongest girl Aelita had ever met. She couldn't be insane!

"Good," Yumi continued in a milder tone, "because that was Odd's doing. That snake had come from nowhere, yet Odd had the bravery to make some spear out of the chair and slay it. He was amazing. And so was Ulrich, and Jeremie... The she-demon was too much for them, though, after fighting one creature already. I was helpless, and frightened. I could do nothing to help them, Aelita, and you _must_ believe me when I say I would've! I would've had I been able! I swear it!"

"I believe you, Yumi, really," Aelita said, trying to calm her friend down enough to understand her story. The uneasy fluttering in her stomach had only gotten worse. "What happened to them? Oh, please don't tell me they're--"

"Gone. To Lyoko, but not in the way we normally get there. They weren't materialized, Aelita. The creature opened up a portal into Lyoko, right there in front of me, and leaped into it with them all slung over her shoulder. And then, the portal closed, disintigrated. I was left alone, to stew over how easily she'd defeated us..."

The sadness behind Yumi's eyes was enough to make Aelita want to cry. So much to happen in so little time. Gateways into Lyoko? Creatures created by Xana? And she thought she'd seen everything. "We'll get them back," she whispered to Yumi encouragingly. "We just need a plan. Are you feeling okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Yumi stood up and paced across the room several times. Aelita remained seated on the bed. It had Jeremie's fresh scent painted all over, and she liked that smell. Jeremie... What if he was in danger? She shuddered at the thought, and quickly shoved it to the back of her mind. Yumi put a slightly shakey hand to her chin and scratched it thoughtfully. "You can work the supercomputer, can't you?"

Aelita blinked. "Yes, I have before. I suppose I could now, except... Yumi, it looked destroyed beyond repair from the glance I took while at the factory. There was hardware and data chips strewn everywhere. I don't know if even _Jeremie_ could fix that mess."

"But we have to try. There's nothing else we can do." There was a tiredness about Yumi that Aelita found oddly disturbing. To her, it was like the older girl was holding onto a false hope. A hope that she knew was no hope at all, but a rather ornate lie made to look like hope. "We have to try," she whispered again. Aelita knew she was thinking of Ulrich. Had it really been that bad? Were their friends hurt when they were taken? What if Jeremie was hurt? Again-- this time shaking her head defiantly-- Aelita pushed the thought down and back out of her mind. Strong, like Yumi.

"You're right. If trying is the only thing we can do at the moment, then try we must. Where do we start?"

At that moment, the door to Jeremie's room opened with a loud _crack_ against the wall. Yumi wore a snarl on her pretty features, and Aelita didn't think it was because the person standing in the doorway was no one they knew. The vibe he gave off just seemed...evil. The cold wind that blew in from the hall had to be her imagination. But it did make her shiver. "Who are you?" Yumi asked, still holding her emotion like a fragile china doll. That emotion could crack easily at any given moment, unless held and took care of properly.

The boy-- Aelita thought he was a boy, despite his shoulder-length, sun-brown hair, slim figure, and long, black lashes-- flashed Yumi a knowing smile, spreading his arms wide and bowing formally. His every move seemed prince-like, and his manners were perfect- even flattering. But there was an aura around him- an evil aura, black as a raven flying in the night. His voice was like listening to sweet cream and honey. "My name is Avin, ladies. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I know a great deal about computers. I've spoken to Bill Gates many times, in secret of course, and helped out numerous computer companies with viruses and bugs. I know we only just met, but I would love to lend you my services. I'm sure I could be of some help to you."

Before Aelita could say anything, Yumi rounded on him. "I've never seen you before in my life, and I've gone to this school for a while now. Where--?"

"I am a homeschooled student. I come late in the evenings to get my assignments about once a month. Funny how today just happened to be that day, isn't it? I'm sorry, I should've told you that first thing."

Yumi growled and turned to Aelita. She made a dark face and shook her head no, and then mouthed the words _deal with Avin later. _Aelita shook her head no as well. He said he could help. They were at the bottom of their ropes, and unless some other computer genius their age happened to show up, they needed all the help they could get. Yumi sighed and threw up her hands angrily. Fine. She could get mad if she wanted to.

"We'd greatly appreciate your help, Avin," Aelita said, smiling happily. No one, not even her friends most of the time, had showed her the kind of courtesy Avin was. He leaned down, took her hand in both of his, and kissed the top of it lightly. She retrieved her hand quickly, startled. That was the type of thing people did for royalty, not strangers! She smiled again anyway, hoping he didn't take her sudden shyness as being rude. "I must warn you, though. Our computer is very advanced, so I don't know if you'll have much luck with it."

"I don't mind taking my chances for a pair of beautiful girls like you two. Lead the way."

Aelita and Yumi made their way to the factory in silence, walking a few feet ahead of Avin. Yumi shot mean glances his way every time they rounded a corner, but Aelita felt she was overeacting. Avin had showed nothing but kindness toward them, and despite what her conscience told her, Aelita refused to believe he was evil. Yumi pounced on that thought when Aelita voiced it. "You saw his grin when he walked into the room. You felt that cold air. Don't you dare tell me you didn't. And this computer is supposed to be a secret! What business do we have telling other people about it?"

"He doesn't know about Lyoko, Yumi, just that we have a very advanced computer which needs fixing. You said you were okay, but if you don't calm down, I'll take you back to your house and you can stay there for a while. Resting."

Yumi blinked and stopped walking. Her eyes widened in horror. "My house..." she mumbled faintly. Quickly whipping out her cell phone, Yumi called her parents and waited several seconds for someone to pick up. Avin walked up behind Aelita and rested his chin on her shoulder. She jumped back so far she nearly plowed into Yumi. So much for being calm.

"Mhmm, yeah. No, I'll be home later tonight. Of course I'll be all right-- it's just a movie. Yes, I know... Okay, bye." When Yumi clicked her phone off, she sent another hateful glare at Avin, and continued her walk in silence. Aelita scurried up behind her.

"What was that all about?"

"I'd forgotten to tell my parents where I was. You know how they are. More paranoid than a movie star." Yumi paused for only a second, and then her anger picked up again. "And what are you playing at?" She fiercely nodded her head back toward Avin. "You were nearly making out with him!"

Aelita's eyes widened a fraction. "I was _not_, Yumi." That was all she said. Nothing more. Let Yumi try to place the blame on her, but that wouldn't work, since it wasn't her fault she had over-protective parents. Yumi didn't say another word until they were in the factory. She suddenly needed to grab Aelita's jacket and pull her into the elevator, quickly telling Avin to wait there until they come back down. "Yumi, if this is some plan to ditch him until--"

"I'm not ditching anyone. I'm trying to keep our secret a secret. And overcome a fear of the room we're about to enter." Aelita saw her gulp right before the door slid open. The scene was exactly the way they'd left it, bloody and ominous. The dead snake still lay in the back corner, and the supercomputer was still destroyed. Yumi shuddered, but Aelita thought she'd be fine. She had good points; how were they going to keep this a secret?

"We don't have time to clean up the place," Aelita mumbled. "And we don't know if Avin is squeemish, or- Yumi? What are you doing?" The older girl was already back in the elevator. Aelita followed suit hurriedly, praying that Yumi knew what she was doing. She really did care about their secret. They just needed Avin's help.

"It's impossible," Yumi said as the elevator descended.

"What's impossible?"

"Keeping Lyoko a secret. Have you ever seen snakes that big _anywhere_ in the world? I know for sure that I haven't. It's impossible not to tell him something. My plan was to make up a story. You got a better one?" Aelita shook her head. "Fine. I'll do the talking." Just before the door opened, Yumi mumbled, "I think he likes you a little too much." What she meant by that, Aelita had no clue.

Avin was still sitting in the floor where they'd left him. He glanced up when the two girls stepped out of the elevator. Without a word, they both motioned for him to follow them. He wisely chose to remain silent. Yumi explained to him something about how the computer had become destroyed in the first place. It was a good explanation, really. A very good explanation. She explicated the snake by telling him it was a science project gone horribly wrong. By telling him the blood and creature weren't real, she kept their secret of Lyoko safe. As long as Avin didn't assume anything else was behind it. When they were all back in the supercomputer room, their new ally immediately set to work, placing parts here and there, mumbling about needing welding tools. "I don't think I've ever seen a computer this...complicated," he said after a while. Aelita had yawned three times. The day had been too long by far. "It's almost as if it were created by other beings."

"Nope, it's really just several smaller computers rearranged and put back together to make a larger one," Aelita said, trying to keep herself awake. Yumi looked sleepy as well.

"But the delicacy and complex patterns inside the... Oh, nevermind. I know how to fix it."

"Of course you do."

Aelita closed her eyes.

She didn't know how long she'd been asleep, only that Yumi was waking up at the same time right beside her. The supercomputer looked as good as it ever had, better even. The room was spotless of snake and blood. Avin was nowhere to be seen. Aelita glanced directly at Yumi. "Do you think...?"

"No," the oriental girl said, "He was only lending a helping hand. I'm glad to be rid of that thing anyway. Whatever he did with it." She shuddered slightly. "In any case, he has helped us out bigtime, but if he's too impatient to stick around for a reward, then good riddance to him."

"If you say so." Aelita walked over to the supercomputer and, without an ounce of hesitation, activated it. A voice, distorted so you couldn't tell if it was high or low pitched, male or female, sounded in the room. It was coming from the supercomputer, and to Aelita's surprise, there was actually a video feedback on the screen. She couldn't see who it was because they were shrouded in black. "**AELITA... IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOUR PRETTY FACE.**"

"Who are you?" Aelita asked, hoping she wouldn't get a reply; that would mean the video feed was live. She did.

"**I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT. WHAT FUN WOULD THERE BE THEN, IF YOU KNEW ALL THE ANSWERS IN THE BEGINNING?**"

"Then tell me how you know about this place."

"**WHY, I--**"

The voice was cut off abruptly because the power to the computer was suddenly gone. When Aelita looked around, she saw Yumi with the long power cord in her left hand. Her anger had returned ten fold. "What the hell does he think he's playing at?" She threw the cord to the floor and stomped over to Aelita. The younger girl waited for the outburst. "Avin, or whatever his _true_ name is... He put that on there just to freak us out. Well - _I_ - _won't_ - _buy it_, you snot nosed little--!" Yumi barely paused, for lack of a better word, "I'll bet he's off to tell one of his rich computer geek buddies about this place. Or better yet, the government! Oh yes, that's all we need now is for the military or the FBI to boot us out of the factory. You know we'd never be allowed near this computer again if that happened. We'd never be allowed to save our friends."

Aelita shook her head. "Yumi, he probably just went home, like you should. It's past eleven. Stop worrying; you're making me worry."

Yumi sighed, very slowly and deeply. "All right. I'm not gonna act like some nervous mother. You get some sleep too, though. Go back to the school and rest. We both deserve that much." Aelita gave her a doubtful look. "I'm serious, okay? I'll go home and sleep, nice and cozy in my bed. I won't worry at all, I promise."

"Okay." The pink-haired girl turned to go.

"Hey, Aelita?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think... Maybe if it wasn't Avin, I mean... Maybe..."

Aelita smiled warmly. "You promised, Yumi."

Yumi lauhged, "I know, I know. I did promise, didn't I? All right, I won't worry about _anything_. This time, I swear." They both left the computer room laughing and yawning. Sleep would bring troubled dreams of painful tortures, but for now, Aelita could believe that future held something brighter.

-.-.-.-

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. As you can see, they make updates come faster. Happy Thanksgiving!

-.-.-Shaku-.-.-


	5. Suspicious

_**Chapter 5---Suspicious**_

It seemed as though the farther Odd walked, the faster his heart pounded. His nerves were catching up to him. The light that suddenly appeared from nowhere only made this worse. Instead of going faster, his heart jumped a beat or six. He drew closer and closer to the light, and upon closing that distance, he felt more and more lightheaded.The small sliver of light was coming from a nearly closed door. Cautiously, he peered into the room. There was nothing else for him to do, nowhere else for him to go.

The room was not large; however, the minute pixie seated at the Barbie sized computer made it seem much larger than it actually was. She looked sort of like Aelita, with pink hair and pointed ears, but she had translucent dragonfly wings that fluttered as she giggled hysterically. Odd could not see what was so funny on such a small screen. He frowned and continued to survey the surroundings. The pixie seemed to be the only person in the room, and the computer the only device. The walls were gray and bare, making the room seem more like a prison cell. Odd shook his head. The more he found out about Lyoko, the less he liked it.

The echo of footsteps on the other end of the corridor made Odd jump away from the door. He looked around frantically, but there were no hidden passageways or compartments to hide in. Not like in stories. Stories were a load of crap, because in those, the hero always had a secret doorway to hide in. If there was a secret door, he could not see it. He remembered, though, that most things impossible in the real world were very easily done in Lyoko. Using the cat-like skills he'd learned over the years, Odd quickly climbed his way up one wall, where he found a torch holder to hang on to. If the person coming down the hall didn't look up, he just might get out of a fist fight. Good thing the torch wasn't lit.

He listened and watched closely as a shadowed figure walked commandingly down the hall. They opened the door to the gray room angrily, causing it to bang against the rocky wall that Odd's cheek was pressed against. The light suddenly illuminated the shadows, though it wasn't quite bright enough to reach Odd. She was another scientist-nurse person, though unlike the others, she was wrinkled and white-haired with age. She stood up tall, and her eyes-- what Odd could see of them-- were of the coldest fire blue. Her face was contorted in frustration.

"Usless insolent vermin!" she rasped, "We ought to have you deleted for all the mistakes you've made! Look at this mess!"

The pixie squeaked, very much startled, and quickly apologized for her insolence. It was a very strange sight. "If it pleases our great master, may I be allowed to continue my desk job?" She gave the woman a pleading look, then added quietly, "Please, may I?"

"Please him? _Please_ him? I've never seen him more disappointed, more furious! You should be ashamed of your failures, not celebrating them! Do your job right next time or...or..." The nurse took a deep breath and laughed lightly, making it sound like she was enjoying tea with a favorite childhood friend. Her sudden change of mood made Odd shiver. "I'll make the boss give you the alternative to deletion." Her voice took on a darker tone. She stepped back out of the room and was still speaking even as she left, "And we _all_ know what _that_ is, don't we my stupid, young friend? Don't forget, the next time you screw up--"

"I won't! I swear I won't!" The pixie typed vigorously on the keyboard, and then let out a long sigh. The nervousness was a large contrast to her previous laughter. Odd thought he heard her sniff several times.

Once he was sure the old woman was gone, he slinked off the wall, resembling a spider slightly more than a cat. The door was still wide open. If the pixie turned around and had some sort of alarm system ready... Odd held his breath. She never moved. He was right; the tiny faerie had her head down on the keyboard, crying softly. He tried to tell himself that he didn't have time for this, that his friends were in danger and needed him more than some imaginary creature, but he couldn't make himself move. His feet were planted firmly in the doorway of the gray room. He saw why two seconds later.

Before, the tiny computer screen had been blocked by the pixie's head, making it impossible to see what was on it. Now, Odd could clearly see the beautiful, tall, slim, dark-haired girl with the burgandy bandana and petit pink shirt, talking prissily to two morons otherwise known as Herb and Nicholas on the screen. Sissy suddenly looked startled and relaxed, as if a stress had been lifted from her shoulders. The pixie lifted her head slightly. She didn't seem so sad now. Her fist clenched in a mad fit of anger ready to burst from her at any given second. Odd took a step back. He'd read that pixies were devious little things, but never did he hear about one being bi-polar.

"Wench!" she screamed at the computer. "You ignorant bitch-slut-whore! I hate you! I _abhor_ you, you stupid, odious, fat, ugly _human_!" Odd watched in amazement as the pixie typed something into the computer. It was as though an invisible force wrapped its arms around Sissy, making her back jerk straight again. The arrogant smirk that Odd had come to know and live with, even sort of like, formed on her face almost mechanically, and the things she said to Herb would've had Odd in tears. _Those two must be used to mean comments like that by now_, Odd thought sadly. He stared at the pixie madly typing at the desk. She started to mumble to herself:

"Now who's gonna get yelled at, huh? Let's see how your dad likes it when you flunk another test because you decided to go shopping instead of studying. We'll see who gets the last laugh when _I_ decide to make little Miss Perfect into little Miss Vain! Hah! Scream at those two losers till your heart's content, bitch!" Her mad fury died down slowly and changed into something more mellow. "It's funny how I'm the only one who knows about our little secret. I mean, _you_ don't even know about it. The master knows, but he knows everything. Years of perfectly placed circumstances with that stupid little group, all to further Xana's master plan. Years of sitting at this desk, giving you commands to say the most rotten things my mind can come up with. Oh, how you'd die if you knew the friends you might've had in another lifetime hate you as much as I do! I'd love to see the look on your face the day you do finally realize your life is nothing but a big fat lie, aaahhahahaha!"

Odd snapped his mouth shut as soon as he realized it was hanging open. Sissy being controlled by an evil pixie that lived in Lyoko? He didn't want to believe such a farfetched idea, yet the evidence was clear in front of his eyes. Every mean comment Sissy had ever made to them actually could have been made by an angry pixie. And Xana was in this? Even if Sissy did act unusually cruel to them and show up in strange places sometimes, that still didn't change the fact that she's a human living in the _real_ world. A pixie in Lyoko couldn't possibly take control of her mind. But Odd had thought he'd seen everything even before the event with Flow wanting to disect Ulrich and him. If what the pixie said was true, then Odd's planned meeting with Sissy could have very well been a trap. Though it wasn't like she'd still show up at one o'clock in the morning, or whatever the time was in the real world. And it wasn't like Odd could somehow manage to get out of Lyoko anyway. He blinked his eyes in wonder. If the Sissy they'd known all their lives actually had the personality of a virtual creature, then what was the _real_ Sissy like? The pixie mentioned Sissy being "Miss Perfect." Was the nice girl buried beneath the insults and the hatred the girl that Odd had come to fall in love with?

"...Who are _you_?"

"Hm?" Odd looked up, and instantly wished he hadn't. The pixie was staring directly at him. He saw her fire red eyes widen in shock, but not for very long. She flittered her wings and flew straight for the door. Without thought, Odd turned around and swung the door shut as fast as he could. The little creature screamed in horror as her wings were crushed in the door. A shiny, water-like substance slid down to the floor, making a small puddle of...slime...at the base of the door. The pixie was weeping. Odd knew his heart was growing cold when he almost turned around, ready to ignore the fact that he'd just damaged the poor thing for life. "Mind telling me what that was all about?" He asked, light-heartedly. He meant it as a joke, but the pixie took it as a threat or at least a serious question.

"No, I won't tell you. You don't deserve to know. Y-y-you're the enemy..." She sniffed loudly and graced her fingers across her back. They came back covered in the glittering water. It was her blood that was making a puddle on the floor. "Stupid, stupid stupid stupid... No good lousy... Dumb dumb stupid dumb... Good for nothing..."

"Um, hey...? Little pixie girl?" Odd gently pushed the door open again, and winced when the pixie shrieked. He picked her up and was surprised to see that she fit in both his hands. Her skin was light blue and her hair was cotton candy pink. Big, glistening eyes stared up at his face. "There, there," he cooed, using two fingers to smooth back her hair. "You'll be all right now." She shook her head no. "Well, you're not dead." She shook her head again. Odd frowned. "You sure were talking a lot more three minutes ago."

"Are you...Odd?" she asked, trying to stand on shakey blue legs. Odd's cheeks colored slightly when he realized the tiny faerie wasn't wearing anything.

"Yeah, I'm Odd. Who are you?" She drew a circle on his hand with her foot, pretending to ignore his question. After a moment, he asked, "Are you allowed to talk at certain times?" She didn't say a word. Odd gritted his teeth. He halfway wanted to throw her into another wall, and to hell with good morals!

"My name used to be Trixie," she said quietly, now sitting on Odd's palm. "Before I was redesigned, I mean. Before..." She was quiet for a moment, and looked quite thoughtful, but she continued with a look of pride that didn't follow through to her voice, "Before I was reborn as a servant for Xana, to use my devious powers to do his work, and to help him stop you from saving the wolrd of reality."

Odd rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help a small grin that escaped his lips. "Why is it the bad guys always want an armageddon? It's like some rule they all must abide by. Either that or world domination. And you-- Tricky Trixie, the devious pixie-- you didn't look to happy to see that lady walk in here and totally chew you out, now did you?"

Trixie giggled at Odd's humorous tone. He smiled too. A girl who liked pranks as much as he did was a girl he could get along with. Just so long as he confirmed that she wasn't working with Xana as closely as he thought she might be. "I didn't know her. The great master sends different people all the time, so the secret doesn't get around." She suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my Xana..." Odd smirked at that too. "You know don't you?"

"Know what? That you were controlling a human being and enjoying every second of ruining her life? That you just explained to me Xana's plans of destroying the real world via computers? Nope. Never heard a thing."

Trixie tried to flutter her broken wings, but they wouldn't even twtich, so she settled for grabbing onto Odd's shirt sleeve. "_PLEASE_ don't tell anyone! The great master will have me deleted! Or worse!" Odd couldn't imagine a worse-than-deleted situation. "I can't help the way I am... I was born with a slight sense of sadistic pleasure... but only for the fun of it! I don't really like hurting people. Just..the...joke..." She gulped under Odd's unfaultering gaze and quieted before she could finish her plea. Odd didn't have time for this. He really didn't. With an impatient sigh, he strolled into the room and stomped his foot on the computer. Sparks and smoke protruded beneath his shoe for only a moment, and then stopped. He left the room at a near jog.

"Listen up, and listen quickly. You'll need to make up your mind on the spot, all right? I don't want to talk much in these hallways. You were unhappy in there, correct?"

"If you discount the fact that I sort of liked making the girl be mean to those two boys, yes. I was not happy at all."

"And you didn't like being...redesigned...as Xana's little puppet?"

Trixie thought about that, but Odd raised an eyebrow. She then knew that he knew. She really was a bad liar. "No. I didn't like it at all."

"Good. I figured you'd make an interesting ally, seeing as how we've never had one in Lyoko before. Now keep quiet. I don't know what's around the corners of this..._Black _Tower." If Trixie so much as _thought_ about turning on him...

Trixie hummed for a few seconds, ignoring frantic whispers from Odd, and then said quite loudly, "There are about thirty wasps around this corner. You're heading straight for the heart of the Black Tower." Odd stopped dead in his tracks, skidding to a halt right at the corner of a wall.

"And _why_ you didn't bother to tell me this until now?"

"I figured you'd be okay," she said poutily. Odd could've growled.

"Well, if you know that much about this place, you can help me find this strange operating room."

The pixie's eyes widened a fraction. "There are about ten of those in the whole tower. It'll take forever to go to all the levels and back."

"No, just on this level." He just knew someone would walk around that corner. Then he'd get captured and let his friends down. Ulrich and Jeremie wouldn't get a rescue. Jeremie wouldn't anyway, without Ulrich. Odd knew that much. He could barely navigate the tower with the aid of one of its inhabitants, much less by himself. The air around him was thick with silence, and no one came.

"Oh. Well, there's only one on this level. First, you backtrack down this corridor and turn left at the very end, then you keep going..." Odd listened, but his mind was too busy conjuring up the many fates his friends could be suffering that very moment. It made him want to curl up in a ball and wait until he woke up from the nightmare he thought he was living. He kept his expression smooth in front of Trixie. No room for mistakes now. No time for failure.

-.-.-.-

Yumi agreed to meet Aelita at the factory immediately after school was over. The day was long and very boring for the most part, full of nothing but tests and note-taking. It was especially boring at lunch time, when she had to go to the principal's office and explain why three boys were not in school. It was one of those things that seemed very insignificant to her; she knew her friends were in life-threatening danger and she could be using that time for something much more useful. She was becoming quite good at lying, though.

"Yes, sir. They've all gone on a rock concert vacation type thing. They're out of town for a few days." Sitting in front of Sissy's father always made Yumi want to hit something.

"Are you positive?" The graying man eyed her suspiciously. "We really should call their homes anyway-"

"That won't be necessary. I've already tried, and there's just the answering machine. You'll be wasting your time." Yumi calmly folded her hands behind her back. And crossed her fingers. The principal stared at her long and hard with eyes unforgiving of pranksters. Yumi stared back, her expression blank. _Quite_ good at lying. The luck she required was the principal not knowing their cell phone numbers.

"Very well. I'll trust someone with your GPA, Yumi. Now, off with you. It's almost time for sixth period."

Yumi sighed in relief when she exited the office--

--then groaned when her preppier double smiled wickedly and walked quickly toward her. Yumi had halfway turned around, but Sissy grabbed her by the shoudler and laughed in her face. An evil laugh. The type of laugh that Xana had in her nightmares. "What do you want?" Yumi asked, irritated greatly by this minor setback.

"Where's Ulrich? And Odd? Have you seen them lately?" The little ingrate started twirling a lock of her silky black hair around her finger. Yumi stared at her flatly. Ulrich didn't think Sissy's hair was silky. He said she brushed it so much she was nearly bald. That's why he claimed she wore the headband. Every time he said that Yumi burst out laughing hysterically.

"They're gone." She said. There. That wasn't a complete lie. It wasn't lying at all, really. They _were_ gone.

"Gone where?" Sissy squeaked. Her voice was very, _verrrrry_ annoying.

Yumi walked around her as the tardy bell rang, mumbling incoherently. Let Sissy wonder about Ulrich all she wanted. She'd never have him, and of that, Yumi was positive. She couldn't say the same for poor Odd, though. She smiled gratefully at Mr. Barker. He let her off easy this time. No tardies.

When the final bell rang, Yumi sprang from her seat so fast that she actually knocked some of her classmates out of the way. She ignored the angry protests and ran from the room. Somehow, Aelita had managed to beat her to the factory. "I got permission to leave early because of 'illness'. I figured you'd try something like that, too, Yumi."

Yumi rolled her eyes. "You've been watching what the boys do too much. Unlike them, I've got a nice perfect attendance record that I'd like to keep." As the elevator door opened, Yumi ran her fingers through her hair. "Where do we start? I figured we could try to start the supercomputer again."

Aelita nodded with enthusiasm. If she thought she was going to speak with that voice again, she better think again. If Yumi needed to pull the cord again, she would. All thoughts of what to do next vanished at the sight of Avin, sitting at the supercomputer typing away. He was so engrossed in his work, that even when Yumi tapped him on the shoulder, he never flinched. He just...typed. The strange part was, the computer screen was blank. "Hey," she said angrily. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Avin lifted his head slightly, glancing briefly at Yumi. Then his gaze settled on Aelita. Something flashed in his eyes-- a different kind of light, maybe-- and then was gone. Yumi couldn't tell what it was, but Aelita had certainly sparked it. He paid her too much interest. "I was fixing that nasty bug. I'm sorry. I should've turned it on after I fixed it yesterday, but I was as beat as you two. Computer repair is actually very hard work."

"I _bet_," Yumi murmured darkly. "You probably put the virus on there in the first place-"

"Thank you, Avin," Aelita said, striding over to him to get a peek at what he was typing. Her surprise at seeing a blank screen showed blandly on her face. Yumi loved Aelita, she really did, but sometimes the girl just didn't know how to play at secrecy. It was the same type of thing she got from Odd. Ulrich was brilliant when it came to hiding what he really thought of things. Avin smiled up at the pink-haired girl, flashing his teeth in a toothy, charming smile. This had to stop. Now.

"Out," Yumi said, barely keeping a reign on her anger. "We appreciate your help, Avin, but you fixed the computer. Aelita helped build the thing," she hardly had to think about the tiny fib, "and she's perfectly capable of destroying any bugs that might've been on there. Honestly, I believe we'll be fine now. Bye."

Avin frowned thoughtfully. At the computer, not Yumi. And Aelita openly glared. What was wrong with her? Then, as if everything were suddenly clear, Avin stood up and bowed to Yumi. "You're exactly right. I shouldn't have come back without your permission. I apologize. Is that sufficient?"

"Perfect," Aelita said before Yumi could speak. She'd come close though. A fraction of a second later and Yumi would've made him beg for forgiveness. Frowning, she snapped her mouth shut. She wished he'd leave. She or Aelita needed to devirtualize the boys.

Avin made his way around Aelita slowly, batting his long lashes and standing closer to her than he should have. "Can I...speak with you? Alone?" He asked, taking Aelita's hands. Her cheeks flushed bright red.

Thankfully, Yumi noted, Aelita had not lost her wits completely. "Anything you can say to me, you can say to Yumi, too, Avin." She shyly pulled her hand back and took the vacant seat at the supercomputer. Avin must've brought another chair.

"Very well," Avin mumbled. He glanced at Yumi once more before saying good-bye. Yumi glared bullets at the closing elevator door.

"Could you show at least a _little_ more trust for people who try to help, Yumi?" Aelita frowned at her, not angry, but concerned.

Yumi briefly wondered if her lying habit was becoming too bad. Trust. That was another value she wasn't too keen on, right beside her insight. She tended to ignore them both sometimes. Bad habits needed to be broken. But there were some times that lying really did come in handy. She put on her best imitation of a Yumi-smile (Aelita was instantly happy again) and said, "I guess I'm still a bit tense from yesterday. We should get this overwith. Soon. I want my friends back." _I want my Ulrich back._ Thinking about Ulrich was impossible. If she thought about his soft, brown hair, or his endless, chocolate brown eyes for too long, she'd burst into tears and would not stop until she could see him again. It hadn't happened yet, but again, Yumi was forced to shove the object of her affection to the back of her mind. She wouldn't _let_ it happen.

"Let's get to it," Aelita agreed, nodding. She turned the computer on.

-.-.-.-

Jeremie opened his eyes and coughed. The air around him was coated thickly in some sort of perfume. He couldn't see. Wherever he was, a creepy, stilling blackness surrounded him. The first thought that registered in his disoriented mind was danger. The danger of the vampire creature that appeared from nowhere. The danger of Ulrich or Odd being injured. Aelita. That thought was a given. He invision the room in the factory perfectly in his mind, demolished supercomputer and all. He shuddered and thought, _Where am I? How did I get here?_ More questions were floating about his head, but those two seemed the most important.

He roughly coughed again and pulled his knees up to his chest. He could feel a headache coming on. Usually, Jeremie would get minor headaches when he thought about something too hard. He could tell this was no normal headache. It was a full frontal assault on his brain, a painful, throbbing migraine. He felt dizzy. Slowly, he leaned back onto the cold floor and took deep, long breaths. Calm.

"Glad to see you're finally awake," a voice mumbled from the shadows. Jeremie didn't dare move. He'd pretend he was dead if he didn't think the person he was speaking to might just have some intelligence. "How do you like this tower? It's one of my favorite creations. Those red ones were useless. I prefer the Black Tower much more, don't you?" Jeremie stared into a darkness that he knew must be spinning. "Feeling queasy? Delusional? I thought so. Vixeinya threw you around pretty bad." It was a girl's voice.

A door slammed in the room. Loud footsteps thudded closer to Jeremie, and then the girl's voice was ringing in his ears with a blood-curddling scream. The silence in the room after that scream stopped was deafening. A new, low voice whispered in his ear.

"Ready for your turn?"

-.-.-.-

I'm terribly sorry for the extra grande wait on this evil, cursed, badly-written chapter. (No, really; it is.) I think I've got my muse back, but it took until the very end of this chapter. Anyway, I finally got over my writer's block and I swear not to make you wait another two or so weeks for an update. Even though I think it's crap, I hope you'll give me an honest review anyway. I also promise to give you a better chapter next week. And of course, I greatly appreciate the reviews I've gotten already. You're all _awesome_.

-.-.-Shaku-.-.-


	6. The Coma

_**Chapter 6---The Coma**_

Ulrich watched the two people before him with a block of ice clogging his stomach. Bart whispered something in a low voice to Flow. He did not look urgent; in fact, he looked more amused than anything. Flow nodded and turned to leave. Ulrich didn't want her to leave just yet, though. He still wanted to know something before he avenged Cherri. "Flow," he called after her, "Who was the only other person to survive _Senoczine_?" His heart pounding sounded loud in the silence after his words echoed.

Flow turned slowly, eerily-- her flickering eyes and fake smile giving her a mad look--and said, "Me." And then she left. Her steps were quick.

"That...was not funny in the least," Bart said, streatching and flexing his fingers. His dog-like face looked as rabid as when Ulrich had first seen him. "I suppose you'll want to kill me now. Seeing as how you've been in Lyoko before, I don't think I should go easy on you. Normally, I'd let the weaker opponent have the first hit, but this time I--"

Ulrich jumped down from the crate long before Bart was finished chatting. His mind was racing. Bart looked startled to see Ulrich come at him as fast as the brunette did. _Good_, Ulrich thought. _Very good if I can get surprise as an advantage. He won't last long with his guard down._ Half a second later, when he reached Bart, he drew his fist back and punched the madman harder than he'd ever hit anything. Bart was sent staggering backward several feet before he knew what hit him.

"Good to see you've got spunk, kid," Bart murmured darkly. His aura seemed to change before Ulrich's eyes, swarming with wrath and a keen taste for blood. A strange thing, auras. The lab's light faded, leaving the two shrouded in darkness. Somehow, Ulrich thought he could see better in the dark now than he could before. It must've been the peppermint substence that Cherri made him drink. He felt so much stronger, too. How long that would last was a mystery. _"Lady Luck is your prostitute,"_ Odd had told him once, _"Use her like he whore she is."_ At the time, Ulrich had thought Odd was just trying to cheer him up. They _had_ lost the soccer game, after all. But right now Lady Luck didn't seem like such bad company, and Odd's silly proverb made a little more sense.

"Luck, I hope you're with me on this one," he said quietly. Bart eyed him sideways, curiously. He wasn't fazed at all.

"Crazy hot-heads like you make the world so much more interesting. I was hoping I would get to rid Lyoko of you. Flow takes too much pride in her job. She never does as she should, like me. I fight my own battles." Bart began circling Ulrich like a leopard stalking a wounded animal. _He_ was the one wounded, though! "Whenever she sends for Xana's little creations instead of fixing something herself, she actually makes herself more vulnerable. Like you are right now. But I take it you've fought plenty of battles, is that right?" Ulrich nodded, stepping away from Bart slowly. He wasn't about to be ambushed, especially by the likes of him. He couldn't help the adrenaline pumping through his veins, though. He had to push the urge to wrestle Bart to the floor to the back of his mind. Bart stopped circling him. "You're a samuri when you come to Lyoko, so why don't we make this battle worth its time?" His smile was visible even in the darkness.

The next moment, Ulrich felt a strange sensation in his hands, almost like they were numb- a prickly feeling. His fingers automatically coiled around the hilt of a katana, silver blade humming and virtualizing before his eyes. He swished it several times to make sure it wasn't just a mirage, then ran his thumb across the blade lightly. A small bead of red appeared the instant his skin came in contact. Not only was the sword real, it was pinpoint sharp. He tried to hide his surprise. When he looked up, he saw that he was not the only one with a sword. Bart's weapon was from Europe, though, a two-handed blade and twice as thick as Ulrich's small katana. If that was how he saw fair, then so be it. Ulrich put quite a bit of faith into his Japanese steel. He took a slow stance, one that would keep him ready for anything.

Bart ran forward faster than Ulrich predicted, but not so fast that he couldn't keep up with him. The blond man looked almost clumbsy with a sword in his hands, but strength was a key factor in this fight. Bart was not weak. He came onto Ulrich with a full-frontal clash of steel that sent them both skidding toward the shallow pond. Luck. Maybe luck would keep him alive if his skill didn't.

In retaliation, Ulrich ducked low as his katana slid away from Bart's sword. He made a strike at Bart's ankles, but the taller man moved his blade quickly to the other side, negating Ulrich's attack completely. With barely a pause for breath, Ulrich jumped backward and onto his feet, ready for the next blow.

They danced like that for some time. Ulrich didn't know how long they'd been at it, but one thing he did know was his own condition. He felt like he was playing on God-mode in some video game. His stamina was perfect, his health was perfect, his fatigue- what fatigue? He felt like he could run around the world and back again. The only problem was he was dueling against another God-like player, locked in a never ending battle because both characters were as good as they were going to be. And the battle would end. Ulrich's strength would wear down eventually, unless if the peppermint elixir left him feeling like that forever. Somehow he doubted that. Lady Luck seemed to be late for the party.

His feet were suddenly immersed in icy water. That did not slow him down, of course, but it did take his attention away from Bart for a second. One second would be all the blond man needed to gut him, but the water must've taken his attention from Ulrich as well. Soon they were both swirling in tiny drops of water like rain. Ulrich's shirt was starting to get wet, and worse, cold. The water was freezing. He faintly wondered how he'd survived the swim through that water. No matter now. He needed something that would trip Bart off his back long enough for him to...to finish this. His mind started working like a calculator.

Bart tried to push Ulrich one way--deeper into the water; his height would make him able to move faster by a hair--but Ulrich's speed with a smaller sword helped him to lead Bart in another direction. Inch by slow inch they moved out of the water and to the crates. Ulrich had barely missed getting beheaded, but the instant he knew he wasn't, he jumped onto the crate backwards, steady as a rock. He couldn't help but grin at Bart's confusion stark and plain on his face.

Despite the simplicity of his plan, the confusion was exactly the result Ulrich wanted. He'd jumped onto the crate for no other reason than to warble the dog-faced baffoon. His assumption was correct as well; Bart was stunned for longer than a few seconds. Long enough for Ulrich to take a deep breath and thrust his katana through Bart's stomach. Bart was stunned for more than one reason, now. His sword falling to the floor signaled the end of their skirmish. It was over. Ulrich wanted to cry. He wanted to shudder and close his eyes, but he forced himself to watch as he pulled the bloody weapon free. The slick, red liquid that coated the katana dripped slowly onto the floor and the crate. It poured much faster from its owner.

"Well...kid," Bart managed to blurt out, "You beat me. Much...faster...than I thought you could...too. Damn brat..." With that, his eyes glazed over and he leaned forward, letting go of his last breath. Both weapons dissipated, as did Bart himself. _Was he just _devirtualized Ulrich thought, staring in wonder as the blood around him faded too. He never thought about that. He did seem to stay in Lyoko a bit longer than he did when he was devirtualized, but... He glanced over to where Cherri should've been laying on the table. There was nothing there to suggest the horrors that had taken place only minutes earlier. He was a bit surprised at how fast everything was over. A pair of hands clapping from the exit as the lights returned made his eyes sharpen again.

"Well done, my boy, very well done." Flow was not clothed in her usual white lab coat. Now, she wore a knee-length, black skirt with a blood-red top that revealed nothing. Around her shoulders was a long ebony cloak that glittered when the light hit it. The strange glowing ball of light was floating above her left hand, and in her right was a leash. Ulrich couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to the other end of that leash. He hadn't expected to see the dreadful vampire thing that had first brought them here again so soon, yet there she was, perched on her heels like a faithful pet. Flow's smile still seemed too friendly, but Ulrich definitely wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Not even as much as he did for Bart. She was at the top of his list. "Two birds with one stone," The red-head continued, "You really don't know how much you're helping us out, Ulrich. You should be proud."

"You're not going to lament them at all?" Ulrich whispered quietly. Dangerously. He wanted her to think he was dangerous.

"Why should I? They were both useless anyway. Anyone who does not see through the same eyes as Xana must be dealt with, and you, my fine specimen, have done just that. Ulrich, I don't know if you knew this or not, but you actually have much the same views as Xana does. You two would get along _very_ well. The same with your other friend--Jeremie, I believe his name is?"

"What do you mean? I'm nothing like Xana! And neither is Jeremie!"

Flow was silent for a long time, then. Her smile faded into nothing, a bland look, and Ulrich was forced to stare back at her haunting eyes. When she was through thinking, her smile returned, twice as wicked as before. "Oh, Ulrich, but you _are_ like Xana, in many more ways than one. Maybe not as much as the other, but in some ways, more. You'll be joining him shortly." She started toward him, Vixeinya crawling on all fours by her side. Ulrich tried to process all the information at once, and ended up being even more confused. Jeremie was alive, though. That thought he registered plainly. He watched half-heartedly as Flow threw the glowing ball into the air. It grew larger as Flow chanted something in a high, sing-songy voice. Larger, until its brightness made Ulrich wince and shield his eyes with his arm. Brighter still, and then it was too much. As something warm encircled him, Ulrich felt his consciousness fade.

He was in a dream. A dream of a dream, or something like that. He was everything, and nothing at the same time. He was anything he wanted to be, and yet again something so distinct and petty that it seemed his dream was not a dream at all. It was...strange. But he'd felt it before. It was the world of computers, the world of virtual reality: the world of Lyoko. He didn't breathe, but he could think. His mind was racing, as it often did when he was in a tight situation. But he wasn't there, so how could there _be _a situation?

There was someone calling his name, distantly, but close, like everything in Lyoko. It was loud and soft, far but so very near. The dream he was in seemed to be a paradox itself- there, but not _really _there. Then, a face, a person appeared in front of him. He knew this person, knew her from another life. Someone else's life. Yumi. He had loved her once. Or did he love her still? He couldn't remember.

"Are you all right?" she asked, touching his face with her silken hands. She smiled when he nodded. He thought he nodded. He must've done or said something, though, because she laughed and wrapped her arms around him, gently stroking the back of his neck. "You're all right..." She said, faintly. Nothing in the virtual world was faint. Her words were. This was not right. Panic--another emotion; something was wrong, very wrong--seized him by the throat. He could not breathe, but that should not matter! Breathe- he needed to breathe, but he couldn't. The tight restraints of being virtualized would not let him. Yumi's hands were not stroking his neck, he realized with a wide-eyed look of terror, they were gripping it. She was strangling him, and none too lightly. He tried to kick her away, but he could not move. Everything was nothing.

Yumi was crying. "I'm sorry, Ulrich! I'm sorry!" She had him pushed against the floor now. A floor that should not have been there. He could feel his pulse slowing down. A pulse that should not have been there. "Please! I _do_ love you, I _DO_!" She practically screamed at him. He could see when he should not see, and he saw her perfect teeth clenched in anger, in pain. He saw her eyes. And they were were not sane. "Damnit, Ulrich, _why_! Why why why fucking why? You had a choice! You didn't have to side with them! You didn't have to give up what makes you human!"

_What makes you human?_ he thought with a bitter laugh inside his head. The world around him was melting away. A world that was not a world, a world that was _his_ world. _What was it that I gave up for you, my love? I can't seem to think...correctly..._

"YOU IDIOT! You gave up your _love_, the one thing that surpases death! You gave it up to that bastard! You're nothing now! Nothing! Nothing! NOTHING! NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING--"

...And then there was silence. He could still see Yumi's beautiful lips screaming the word "nothing" in his face, and he could still feel her hands choking the life out of him. But then again, he could not see. He could not feel. He wasn't even there anymore. _It's just like she said: I have no love._ He managed to gasp in another breath. _Oh, God, what have I done?_ Yumi smacked his face hard. She smacked it again. He felt no pain. He only saw her pain. _Don't, Yumi- please don't! I can change! Help me! I can't do it alone-_ Yumi did not stop. She dug her nails into his neck, panting breathlessly as he was. Her hands were soon drenched in his blood. _I can change! I can... I can... But I can't..._ He could not breathe anymore. He stared up at Yumi, though. She sighed in relief, sweet relief, being ridden of some horrible burden. She laughed at his dying form. He could not hear anything. His ears were stuffed with cotton. His limbs were numb, and cold. His mind was fading, the one thing that was real in this world.

Or was it? What if...what if this wasn't Lyoko? Had he been in the virtual world so long that he thought this strange new reality was that reality? What _was_ reality? No. This wasn't happening... What if...this was the real world? Impossible, but... So this was what Bart had felt like, staring up at the person who killed him, letting go of his last breath, and letting go of life. He was not in Lyoko. He remembered everything now. The Black Tower. Flow. The agreement. The betrayal. Jeremie refused. He did not. Jeremie's death at his own hands. His life, handed back to him by the gracious ruler, Xana. For a price. His love, ripped away mercilessly. Aelita, dead. Odd, dead. Yumi. Killed Flow. Conviced him to leave Lyoko. Brought him back to this world. She tricked him. She paid him back for betraying her in the first place. With terrifying realization, he knew he was no longer in a game. He knew he could no longer spring about as if death meant nothing, for _"death comes to all; to those who wait for it, to those who run from it, to those who welcome it with open arms. You can't cheat death."_

Who had said those words? Him? Could he have said that inevitable truth himself? Maybe in someone else's lifetime. The memory floated across his fading mind like a leaf on a pond, leaving ripples of other memories in its wake. So many things, flooding back to him. And he still felt nothing. He was nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing...

"Ulrich!"

Ulrich's eyes opened wide. He saw Jeremie's worried face in front of him. He felt Jeremie's hands on his shoulders, squeezing them lightly. Jeremie was not dead. He _could_ see; he _could_ feel. And his friend was not dead. Jeremie sighed and relaxed a bit when Ulrich pushed himself up. "I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up, despite what Flow said." The blond boy flashed Ulrich a weak smile, then threw his arms around him, knocking them both back to the floor. "Did they give you _Iscuss_?" Jeremie whispered, still hugging Ulrich. His arms grew tighter when Ulrich hesitated to give an answer.

"No; at least, I don't think so. I don't really remember much of...anything. What is _Iscuss_? They gave me something called _Senoczine_, but not that." Jeremie leaned back away from Ulrich, eyes wide with horror. Ulrich noticed Jeremie's glasses were missing.

"Ulrich, I don't know how to tell you this except bluntly. You're going to die, and quickly. How long ago did they give it to you? Gosh, I wish I had saved some of that _Lopec_ they gave me. Then you might not have to die, then. How are you feeling now? Is there a timer in your head? Do you feel dizzy?"

"Jeremie, hold on a second--I'm not going to die!"

"Yes you are, the--"

"I know what _Senoczine_ is, and it's not in me anymore. Or, if it is, it's been cured. So don't panic, okay? My brain doesn't think as fast as yours does, so fill me in on what all this shit does."

Jeremie looked down, still unbelieving. He probably thought Ulrich was crazy and blabbering nonsense. But he sighed and made himself stare back at Ulrich's eyes. Ulrich took a few deep breaths, making sure he was alive. "Since you know what _Senoczine_ is, I'll bet you know what _Lopec_ is. Oh, before I even start there, these are special potions that only exist in Lyoko. They're all really just real-type programs that Xana created. Anyway, _Lopec_ is--"

"Wait!" Ulrich said, louder than he meant. Jeremie had already confused him again. "_'Real-type program'_? What is _that_? And how the hell do you know all this?"

Jeremie blinked and looked like he was considering something. "I'll tell you why later," he said, and then he abruptly tried to continue filling Ulrich's head with more knowledge. Jeremie didn't want to tell Ulrich how he came about his information, did he? Ulrich listened, but with only half his attention. The other half he used to sort out reality from dream-world. He hadn't seen Yumi since Vixeinya destroyed the supercomputer! Why did he suddenly feel her fingertips on the back of his neck? He surpressed a shudder. "_Lopec_ is a blue liquid used to strengthen the body and rid it of any harmful diseases or poisons. It also stops the time bomb that goes off in your heart when _Senoczine_ is coursing through your body. Strangely, Xana gave it the taste of peppermint. I still can't understand why Xana would make a curing potion, but he did. It can cure anything, as far as I'm concerned. I learned that on my own, since they gave me some after testing _Iscuss_ on me. I examined it very closely."

"That's what I drank to stop the _Senoczine_ then. _Lopec_," Ulrich mumbled faintly. Jeremie didn't seem to hear him.

"_Iscuss _is a dark, fuschia, jam-like substance than sends the person who takes it into a virtual coma. When they gave it to me, I had a strange nightmare of a completely different dimension. While I was there, I saw glimpses of a 'future-that-could-be'. I won't go into the details. Was that something like what happened to you just moments ago? As far as I could tell, you definitely _were_ in a coma."

"Yeah," Ulrich muttered, "I was in a world that wasn't really a world, and I'd given up my love, or something like that."

Jeremie nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes. But don't mind the details. Everything that happened to me was strange, and certainly not pleasant. Just try not to remember any of it. You'll be better off that way."

"But...Jeremie, what if this is another dimension? What if you're not real, and what if I'm not real either? What if I'm just in another part of the coma? What if--"

Jeremie raised his hand and smacked Ulrich hard across his face. The sting woke him up, all right. Ulrich tried to look back at Jeremie angrily, but the blond boy's anger was sincere. He was looking at Ulrich with a stern, angry-mother-scared-to-death type look, but more dark, less mother. "Ulrich, I spent an entire week thinking about _'what ifs'_ when I was very young. My parents finally took me to the hospital, where they purposfully put me to sleep. I woke up, and my parents then told me that I'd been asleep for a month. I couldn't remember anything- not how to walk, or how to eat. Most importantly, I couldn't remember thinking about all the things in life that were a mystery, the unknown. I didn't think _'What if' _anymore. It was like starting life all over again, though. That was an entire _month_ of my life, wasted, all because of my stupid curiosity! And, if not in the same way, you know that my curiosity has still gotten me in trouble a number of times, and I'm not going to let you fall into that same trap that I did! Do you hear me?"

Ulrich stared back at Jeremie, stunned. He'd never heard an outburst like that from him. Ever. How much frustration had he been put through to snap like this so easily? Ulrich did stop thinking about 'what ifs'. He trusted Jeremie with his life. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about anything. Jeremie must've taken that the wrong way. "Ulrich...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I--"

"No, really. I'm fine, Jeremie. Thanks."

Jeremie nodded and leaned back against a wall. It was the first time Ulrich had the chance to look around at his new surroundings. There was one chair in their tiny space, a rickety old thing that looked ready to fall apart. Bars lined up perfectly behind him, and three solid, stone walls trapped them in something like a prison cell. _How long has Jeremie been here? And me, not here two minutes, already losing my wits. Jeez..._

"I learned all of this from Flow." Jeremie said, breaking the silence. He winced, rubbing his forehead. "When I first got here, there was some sort of poisonous gas in the room that gave me a very bad headache. I never learned what that was, or what it did to me. I heard someone talking to me, and at first I thought it was Xana, because they were speaking of the Towers and creations and such. But then I realized it was a girl. I think Xana was using her as a puppet to talk to me instead of coming in here himself. Anyway, something went wrong. I could tell that by the vibe in the room when someone else entered. I think... I think they killed the girl. I didn't get the chance to find out. But she screamed, and then someone else asked me if I was 'Ready for my turn.' That's when they gave me _Iscuss_. It has a sour, metallic taste--like blood--if you ever need to recognize it in a tea or something. After that, I passed out and dreamed of another reality. When I woke up, you were here, beside of me. I've spent the past fourty-five minutes trying to wake you up. I thought you were dead."

"Well, I'm not dead, and I'm glad to see you're not either. We need to find a way out of here."

Jeremie rolled his eyes and frowned. "Don't you think I've already tried everything that could possibly get us out? It's _im_possible!"

Ulrich laughed. "I've really missed you Jeremie. But, you know that attitude never got you anywhere. I figured you would've learned that by now too."

"Haha, very funny." Jeremie said sarcastically, but he smiled, so Ulrich smiled back. "Oh, where is Odd?" He asked, getting suddenly serious again. "Please don't tell me..."

"He's on his way to rescue me," Ulrich said carefully. "I wonder how he's fairing in this crazy Tower..." Jeremie nodded in agreement. All they could do was sit and wait for something to happen. No ideas came to Ulrich. Lady Luck had left him, hopefully to go see Odd. If anyone could get them out of their mess, it would be the spunky little kitty cat and good friend Odd. The silence was a bit depressing, but it was better than talking about things they couldn't help aloud. They waited in the quiet dark. Jeremie mumbled an agreeing,

"I wonder if he's even still alive..."

Somewhere off in another part of the Tower, Odd felt a boost of inspiration. Trixie looked up at the huge grin plastered on his face and frowned, but Odd could've cared less. Ulrich was alive, and so was Jeremie. He _would_ get them both out of Lyoko. Nothing could stand in his way.

But, then, a seven foot vampire with ten foot wings and nails sharper than blades might just slow him down.

-.-.-.-

Thanks for the reviews, and Merry Christmas Eve Eve! I'll try to get a new chapter up and revise this one before 2006. Love the darkness, muahaha. -.-.-Shaku-.-.-


End file.
